BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is escalating tensions with "sinister intentions", China's government said, ahead of a keynote speech Lai will give in Taipei that could set off a Chinese military response.

China accused Taiwan President Lai Ching-te of ’escalating hostility and confrontation with sinister intentions’ after he recently remarked how it is ‘impossible’ for China to become Taiwan’s motherla

Lai said at a National Day celebration that Taiwan's government was celebrating its 113th birthday, while Beijing's just celebrated its 75th.

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.

China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province and is committed to the reunification of the self-ruled island with the mainland and has not ruled out the use of force for reunification

China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the island to accept its sovereignty claims,