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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday criticized Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for using deception and intimidation to curb cross-Strait exchanges and weaken people-to-people ties.

Zhang Han, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference when asked about the DPP authorities' plan to publish weekly updates on alleged cases involving Taiwan residents reported missing or detained on the mainland, while they also advised Taiwan residents to carefully assess the risks of traveling there and avoid such trips whenever possible.

Zhang said the DPP authorities had ignored the facts, fabricated claims and repeatedly hyped so-called "missing persons" cases in an attempt to create a chilling effect and deter cross-Strait exchanges.

Citing data from the National Immigration Administration, Zhang said cross-Strait travel reached 3.12 million trips in the first half of 2026, up 22.1 percent year on year. Taiwan residents made 2.85 million trips to the mainland, an increase of 24.9 percent from the same period last year.

"More and more Taiwan compatriots are coming to the mainland for exchanges, study, work and tourism," she noted.