BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday that the training exercises of the People's Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas are legitimate and reasonable.

The PLA's exercises demonstrate its firm determination, unwavering will, and strong capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, commenting on relevant statements from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities.

"The DPP authorities' collusion with external forces in their continuous provocations for 'Taiwan independence' is the greatest source of chaos and the real threat to peace and stability in the Strait," Chen said.

No matter how much military spending the DPP authorities allocate, they cannot escape the doomed fate of attempting to resist reunification by force, nor can they stop the historical trend of China's inevitable reunification, he said.

"As long as separatist provocations for 'Taiwan independence' continue, countermeasures will not stop," he added.