BEIJING,?? ??? ??? ?? Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- An increasing number of people in Taiwan have realized that the United States is harming, instead of protecting the island, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a recent public opinion poll in Taiwan concerning the U.S. demand for Taiwan to pay "protection fees."

The survey showed that 51 percent of the Taiwan people polled disagreed with the demand and 57 percent of the respondents did not believe the United States would send troops to "defend Taiwan."

More people in Taiwan have broken through the information cocoon manufactured by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, Chen said, adding that the DPP's reliance on the United States will push Taiwan to the abyss of disaster.

Commenting on Lai Ching-te's claim that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's key nominees for his administration having "close ties" to Taiwan, Chen said this will not change the fact that Taiwan is part of China.

Chen slammed the Taiwan authorities for seeking U.S. support for "Taiwan independence" agenda, saying that this would not provide an opportunity "to escape from the tragic fate of being abandoned."