This July 21, 2019, photo taken from the Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. (Zhu Xiang / XINHUA)

Resolute measures will be taken to punish "Taiwan independence" separatists and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said in a statement on Saturday.

The Taiwan Affairs Office strongly condemned Lai for relying on the US to seek "independence" of the island without scruple, saying it was another provocative act by the DPP to step up its collusion with the US to provoke the Chinese mainland

The remarks came after Taiwan's deputy head Lai Ching-te made "stopovers" in New York and San Francisco on both his way from and back to Taiwan on a trip to Paraguay. He also met US' high-ranking officials in Paraguay.

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Lai, who is also a 2024 leadership candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan, made remarks pursuing "Taiwan Independence" in a recent interview with Bloomberg Business Week released on Tuesday.

The Taiwan Affairs Office strongly condemned Lai for relying on the US to seek "independence" of the island without scruple, saying it was another provocative act by the DPP to step up its collusion with the US to provoke the Chinese mainland.

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The DPP is willing to act as a pawn of the anti-China forces of the US to suppress Beijing, and Lai ignores the mainstream public opinion on the island that wants peace, development, exchanges and cooperation with the mainland, it said.

Lai has made frequent remarks seeking "independence" to create cross-Strait confrontations, and advocated preparing for war, and his "transit" in the US this time was for his own votes, it added.

The office said Lai's acts proved that he is a complete worker for "Taiwan independence", and a troublemaker through and through, who only will bring Taiwan to the danger of war.

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"We are willing to create conditions for peaceful reunification but will never allow any separatist actions for 'Taiwan independence'," it said.

The office urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and three Sino-US joint communiques, and deal with the Taiwan question in a prudent way.

"No one and no force should underestimate the strong resolve, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.