BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The recent exercise by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) targeted separatist activities seeking "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces. It was necessary to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a media query on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority's hyping-up of the so-called mainland military threat over the PLA exercise across the Taiwan Strait.

The DPP authority distorted the truth, said Ma, warning that it will only push Taiwan into a more precarious situation if it obstinately continues its wrongful actions. Enditem