TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday rebuffed claims by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office about the benefits of “peaceful reunification,” saying Beijing should instead focus on dealing with its own internal problems.

TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua said unification would “rejuvenate Taiwan's economy" by opening access to a market of more than 1.4 billion people, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. He added that after unification, cross-strait trade would continue to expand, with industrial and supply chains on both sides becoming more closely integrated.

The council criticized the TAO, saying the “benefits of unification” claimed by the CCP are largely material and hold little appeal to the Taiwanese public, per Liberty Times. “Rather than continuing to issue empty promises to Taiwan, the CCP should first address China's own economic and social problems,” the council said.

The council recommended that Beijing focus on tackling the economic recession, high youth unemployment, local government debt, and the ongoing real estate crisis, and improve the well-being of its own people.