The Chinese mainland is capable of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits this year despite an increasingly complex situation, a mainland expert said.

Cross-Straits relations this year will be complex and severe given the rising collusion between the United States and the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan, Zhong Houtao, an associate professor from the University of International Relations, said in an interview with China Daily.

He said that provocation from the DPP this year as the island gears up for its "regional leader election", which will be held in January 2024, will be a major source of the tension. He added that the DPP will certainly stir up trouble during its election campaign.

The DPP's possible candidate, William Lai Ching-te, has promoted the fallacy of maintaining the peaceful status quo and defending Taiwan, which is essentially a deformation of "Taiwan independence", Zhong said.

He also said this year that the US will increase its manipulation of "the Taiwan card" to implement its policy of using the island to contain the mainland because of its growing strategic anxiety about China, as China's economy will see steady growth this year.

Under such circumstances, it's possible that some US politicians may visit Taiwan, and island leader Tsai Ing-wen may be invited to visit the US as some foreign media have speculated, he added.

In the military sphere, the US will continue to help Taiwan build a so-called asymmetric defensive system toward the mainland and sell more invasive weapons to the island to increase its military force, Zhong said.

From an economic perspective, the US hopes to work together with Japan and Australia this year to develop so-called non-Chinese industrial chains for Taiwan, he predicted.

As a result, new tensions will inevitably be created in the Taiwan Straits, Zhong said.

However, he said: "The initiative and dominance of cross-Straits relations has always been firmly in the hands of the mainland. As long as the mainland maintains its own strategic strength, we will certainly be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Straits and accelerate the reunification of our country," he added.

Gu Yehua contributed to this story.