BEIJING - The Chinese mainland has condemned Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's recent remarks promoting the "two states" theory, calling them a "blatant provocation".

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a Wednesday press conference that Lai's call for cross-Strait engagement based on "parity and dignity" was an attempt to alter the historical and legal fact that both sides of the Strait belong to one China.

Zhu warned that denying the 1992 Consensus, going against the one-China principle, and seeking "Taiwan independence" would leave no basis for cross-strait dialogue.

In response to a query on Philippine media report that the Philippine government had relaxed restrictions on interactions with Taiwan officials, including allowing Philippine officials to visit the island, the spokesperson said China urged the Philippines to stop sending wrong signals to separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence".

"We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges between countries having diplomatic ties with China and China's Taiwan region," Zhu said.

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The Philippines should adhere to the one-China principle, stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

'Taiwan people increasingly realize US harming Taiwan'

At the same press conference, Feng said the people of Taiwan were becoming increasingly aware of the harm inflicted by the United States and that the island is being led to ruin by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities.

A recent poll by the US think tank Brookings Institution had found that the proportion of people in Taiwan who view the United States as "untrustworthy" or "highly untrustworthy" has increased by 13.9 percentage points compared to the previous survey.

The people in Taiwan have come to realize that the United States always prioritizes "America First" and cares only about its own interests, Zhu said, adding that in the eyes of Americans, Taiwan's true value lies in being a "cash machine" and a tool to contain the mainland.

If Taiwan continues to give in to the United States' every demand, it will inevitably go from being a "pawn" to being discarded once its value has been exhausted, she said.

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The DPP authorities have recently been fomenting pressure on Taiwan businesses to accelerate their withdrawal from the mainland.

Condemning these actions by the DPP authorities, Zhu said that they are driven by a separatist agenda, and are accustomed to spreading rumors, smearing the mainland and disrupting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.

She added that the mainland has always been the best choice for Taiwan businesses and investors.

In the first quarter of this year, cross-Strait trade reached $70.56 billion, up 15.2 percent year-on-year, she noted, adding that the mainland's actual use of Taiwan investment totaled $1.26 billion, a 127.1 percent increase from the same period last year, with 1,592 new Taiwan-invested enterprises established on the mainland.

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"An increasing number of Taiwan businesses and compatriots are demonstrating through their actions that the mainland remains the top destination for investment and business development," Zhu said.