Mainland vows to firmly crack down on secessionists seeking "Taiwan independence"

BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The mainland will take every necessary measure to severely punish stubborn secessionists who are seeking "Taiwan independence" and hold them to lifelong accountability according to law, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a query involving recent comments on Joseph Wu, an official with Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority.

Wu's repeated provocative remarks on "Taiwan independence" gravely jeopardize the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and damage the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Strait, Zhu said.

A firm crackdown on such stubborn secessionists and their activities seeking "Taiwan independence" is imperative to safeguarding the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, Zhu said.