Business community gives Lai a reality check

In an event organized by the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taipei on Monday to send Spring Festival wishes to businesspeople from Taiwan island doing business in the Chinese mainland, Lai Ching-te, head of the island's authorities, delivered an inopportune speech propagating his secessionist stance.

Although he is well aware that the island's businesspeople doing business in the mainland value a stable and peaceful cross-Strait relationship, the secessionist-minded leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party still felt no qualms about ruining the festive atmosphere of the annual activity by openly peddling his separatist policy and calling on his listeners to speak in one voice with him.

That some Taiwan businesspeople interrupted his speech on the spot voicing their hope that Lai would do more to prevent the situation across the Strait from going bad to worse, or even beyond remedy, shows the unpopularity of Lai's separatist stance. The Taiwan businesspeople know what dire consequences will result if Lai pushes his secessionist ambition too far.