BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday criticized Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te for publicly siding with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over her recent remarks on Taiwan, slamming Lai's statements and actions as "disgusting."

At a press conference, Peng Qing'en, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, accused Lai of "eating the food of ingratiation towards Japan and engaging in acts of selling out Taiwan."

Peng said Lai's words and deeds once again exposed his "ugly face of forgetting the heritage, betraying the motherland."

The spokesperson warned the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that "any act relying on external forces will only lead to disgrace, and any traitor who betrays the nation will inevitably face the judgment of justice."

Peng was responding to a question on Takaichi's recent comments on Taiwan, which have triggered sustained protests across the island. Lai defended her and posted a photo of himself eating Japanese cuisine on social media, claiming it showed the "solid friendship" between the island and Japan.

The mainland spokesperson said Takaichi's remarks grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international relations, gravely undermined the post-war international order, and seriously breached the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan.

Peng urged the Japanese side to "immediately reflect and correct its mistake" and withdraw the "erroneous statements" concerning Taiwan.