It is “absolutely impossible” for Communist China to become Taiwan’s motherland because the island’s government is older, Taiwan’s president has said in a carefully timed speech that underscores the intense historical rivalry between the two.

It is "impossible" for the People's Republic of China to become Taiwan's motherland because Taiwan has older political roots, the island's President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday.

Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te said it was “impossible” for mainland China to become the self-governing island’s motherland, claiming that Taiwan had older political roots. “In terms of age, it is absolutely impossible for the People’s Republic of China to become the motherland of the Republic of China’s people,