Taiwan authorities will feel the pain if they continue to provoke the mainland, a Taiwan affairs scholar from the mainland said in response to Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's recent comment about "China" and attempts to deepen a relationship with Japan and the United States.

"Taiwan people are experiencing the bitter consequences, such as the tourism industry's decline, because of the tension between the mainland and the island. But the island's authorities has not yet felt the pain," said Zhu Songling, director of Beijing Union University's Institute of Cross-Straits Relations.

"Tsai's administration might estimate that further provocation is OK," Zhu said.