China warns of reprisals against Taiwan after president's inauguration speech

Beijing has warned of undefined reprisals against Taiwan after the inauguration speech of new president Lai Ching-te in which he maintained his government's position on sovereignty, and did not concede to Beijing's claim that Taiwan is a province of China. In a statement late Tuesday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) called Lai's speech "a downright confession of Taiwan independence", and again labeled Lai a "dangerous separatist". "No one hopes to achieve the reunification of the motherland through peaceful means more than we do," the statement attributed to TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua said. "However, we must counterattack and punish the DPP…