While talking about cross-Straits relations Sunday, the spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office reemphasized that the mainland policy toward the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remains unchanged, saying that as long as the DPP maintains its pro-independence stance, the mainland won't have inter-party communication with it.

Chen Chu, the mayor of Kaohsiung and also one of the founders of the DPP, is currently visiting the mainland. The mainland welcomes the visits of DPP members in their personal capacities while at the same time rejecting inter-party communication with the DPP. These policies are compatible and the mainland has been able to make this policy achieve positive political effects.

The mainland should have a clear-cut stance on major issues. The alteration in the relative strength between the mainland and Taiwan is moving in the favor of the mainland, which will impose more pressure on the "Taiwan independence" forces. The mainland is obviously no longer just a bystander in terms of the internal politics on the island.

Taiwan has been influenced by the political resolve of the mainland to maintain the unity of the country. Any force to confront such political will risks its political future. The DPP has realized this, while it needs certain time to make adjustments.

Since the Kuomintang reassumed power, Taiwanese society has enjoyed the benefits of peace as officials have stayed far away from advocating "independence."

The Taiwan public will never want to give up the current stability to pursue "independence" with the DPP. If the DPP still resorts to its pro-independence stance in the 2016 elections, it's very likely to be defeated again.

There is still a long time from the elections, but we can already sense the wavering and reluctance of the DPP. They are being pressured by a hollow political ideal. 

"Taiwan independence" is an inevitable concept as long as the state of separation between the mainland and Taiwan continues, but the mainland should impose great pressure to drive it away from the center of Taiwan politics and marginalize this idea. There are already signs that we will defeat pro-independence forces.

Keeping a clear stance on major issues should become a major principle when dealing with domestic and external affairs. Some subtle changes took place in Chen Chu's visit this time. She began to use the term "Chinese mainland" instead of China. These are in accordance with a general trend.