Seeking "Taiwan independence" and engaging in provocations "will only lead to a dead end", Beijing said on Thursday in response to a speech delivered by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te on Wednesday.

Lai's speech deliberately severs the historical ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and it again resorts to advocating "Taiwan independence" by changing wordings, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a daily briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

This once again reveals his persistence in signing up for "Taiwan independence" and his "ulterior motive of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait in order to seek personal political gains," she said.

The spokeswoman reiterated that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that "the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China".

"No matter what Lai's authorities say or do, they won't change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and they won't stop the historical trend that China is bound to reunify and will eventually reunify," Mao said.

In the meantime, Mao underscored that the one-China principle is of a basic norm in international relations and a broad consensus in the international community.

"Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one, and there is no such thing as its 'sovereignty'," she said.

She cited China's consistent stance in handling Taiwan's exchanges with the rest of the world and its participation in international activities — upholding the one-China principle, opposing "Taiwan independence", "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan".

The spokeswoman reiterated that China has always been firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between Taiwan and countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, and Beijing firmly opposes interference in China's internal affairs in any way or under any pretext.

When referring to the small number of foreign politicians who have traveled to Taiwan, Mao urged them to correct their wrong words and actions, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop condoning, supporting "Taiwan independence" while raising tensions in the Taiwan Strait.