A newly premiered Chinese counterintelligence TV drama Jiaofeng has captured widespread attention on both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Jiaofeng, which means "clash" in Chinese, chronicles a two-decade-long saga of how spies from Taiwan conducting espionage operations on the mainland are brought to justice.
Produced with guidance from the Ministry of State Security, the drama draws from numerous real-life cases, shedding light on the covert battles which are often overlooked.
It portrays a team of national security police officers who are skilled, courageous and committed to combating spy operations, choosing to remain unsung heroes.
It also offers a nuanced depiction of spies from the Taiwan island, avoiding a stereotyped narrative.
The popularity of the drama stems not only from the twists and turns in its intricate plot, detailed authenticity and well-developed characters but also from insights it offers into the current situation across the Taiwan Strait and the trajectory of cross-Strait relations.
Historically and legally, Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times.
Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share common origins, culture and ethnicity, forming a community with a shared future.
The deep-rooted kinship, cultural ties and people-to-people bonds between the two sides have endured through time and can never be severed.
In the TV drama, a poignant scene unfolds when the seriously ill father of a spy in Taiwan urges him to reconnect with relatives on the Chinese mainland.
This plea to seek family roots shows that many families on the Taiwan island have their origins in the Chinese mainland. Such blood ties and family affections cannot be separated by the Strait.
The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have long promoted "de-Sinicization" education in Taiwan, attempting to distort the national and ethnic identity of residents, especially young people on the island.
But compatriots both on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan are families connected by blood, and political manipulation by the DPP authority cannot alter the immutable fact that people on both sides of the Strait are Chinese.
Peace, a universal aspiration of humanity, is also the shared wish of people on both sides of the Strait.
As depicted in the TV drama, the mainland resolutely counters infiltration attempts of spies from Taiwan, aiming to eliminate the separatist undercurrents that disrupt peace, promote the reunification of families and prevent conflict.
The DPP authorities, however, obstinately pursue their separatist "Taiwan independence" agenda through military means, attempting to stoke tensions and create turbulence.
They have increased the island's defense budget for 2027 to an all-time high of NT$1.12 trillion ($35.4 billion), pushing Taiwan's defense budget to cross the NT$1 trillion mark for the first time.
Such reckless and belligerent policies will only deplete Taiwan's resources and further escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Mainstream public opinion in Taiwan favors peace over conflict, development over recession, cross-Strait exchanges over hostility, and dialogue over confrontation.
Yet, driven by separatist ambitions, DPP leader Lai Ching-te moves against public opinion, fully exposing his role as a "Taiwan independence" advocate and saboteur of peace.
Set in the 1990s, Jiaofeng depicts intelligence operatives from Taiwan coming to the mainland posing as business people and scholars.
These operatives are able to infiltrate key departments on the mainland, including scientific research institutes, before they are discovered and eventually punished by law.
Today, the mainland has an overwhelming advantage over Taiwan.
It is determined to thwart separatist acts and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Going forward, the mainland will continue to firmly advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
The reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an inevitable trend and the shared aspiration of the people.
Achieving complete reunification is indispensable for China's rejuvenation.
As a character in the drama puts it, the reunification of the motherland will definitely happen.
Only through China's reunification can cross-Strait "clash" be resolved and tensions avoided. Separatist forces advocating "Taiwan independence" will fail in their endeavor and end up in the dustbin of history.
The author is a council member of the National Society of Taiwan Studies.
编辑：Zhou Jinmiao
