BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan for kowtowing to the United States and selling out the island's interests, calling them shameless and absurd.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference in response to a media query about the recent US imposition of a 20-percent tariff on goods imported from Taiwan, which has dealt a heavy blow to the island's traditional industries.

According to local media reports, the number of employees forced to take unpaid leave due to the US imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" on Taiwan had risen by over 650 as of Aug 15, compared with the end of July. Among the nearly 4,000 workers currently on unpaid leave, 91 percent are from the manufacturing sector.

Zhu said the tariff hikes, coupled with the appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, have hit the island's small and medium-sized enterprises and traditional manufacturing industries the hardest.

"These sectors are the livelihood of millions of local residents, yet many enterprises are now struggling, with the interests and welfare of a large number of employees increasingly undermined," Zhu said.

Driven by its political agenda of seeking "Taiwan independence" by relying on the United States, the DPP authorities have allowed Washington to take whatever it wants while concealing the truth from the people, and are now reaping the bitter fruits of their actions, she said.