Chinese leaflets found on Erdan Island say “Lai's Taiwan independence is a dead end”

“Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, one Chinese nation. Taiwan independence is a dead end,” reads one pamphlet. “Lai's Taiwan independence is a dead end.”

This was followed by another post which read, “Using force to oppose unification only leads to stalemate! Don't sacrifice your life for Taiwan's independence, do you understand?”

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) may have dropped the leaflets during a recent two-day military exercise in besieged Taiwan, which ended on Saturday, according to the military's Kinmen Defense Command, Taiwan News reported.

Soldiers found a black cardboard box taped shut on a pier on Erden Island in Liyu Township, Kinmen County, bearing political slogans written on it in simplified Chinese.

The Kinmen Defense Command said the object was dropped by a drone beyond visual range, a “typical cognitive warfare trick”, with the intention of attracting attention, promoting debate and increasing traffic on social media. It said important facilities and positions in the defense zone are completely hidden.

A Chinese national posted a video on YouTube on Saturday showing him placing the leaflets in a black cardboard box and wrapping them with a red ribbon. He is then shown heading to the coast, flying his drone over Arden Island and dropping the packages at a military base.

According to Taiwan News, days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan's president on May 20, China launched a two-day military exercise on May 23 to surround Taiwan in response to so-called “separatist acts.” It was called a “punishment,” CNN reported.

In Lai's inaugural address he urged China to stop bullying Taiwan. In his inaugural address after being sworn in as Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te called on Beijing to stop bullying the island nation, which China still claims.

In his inaugural address, Lai called on Beijing to “stop its political and military intimidation against Taiwan, share global responsibility with Taiwan to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as the larger region, and ensure that the world is free from the fear of war.”

Lai, a former doctor and vice president, was sworn in alongside newly appointed Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, who recently took over as Taiwan's chief ambassador to the US. Beijing has publicly criticised both leaders and their party for failing to defend Taiwan's sovereignty.