China has warned the United States that the country’s armed forces would respond with fierce military action at any step favoring Taiwan’s independence.
During an Asian security summit in Singapore, Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that making Taiwan independent from China would only leave Beijing’s military the choice to fight “at any cost.”
China considers the self-governing island an integral part of its territory even though they broke apart during a civil war in 1949.
But the US recently sold arms to Taiwan, and China’s minister condemned such actions, saying the sale undermined the country’s sovereignty.
If someone tries to break Taiwan from China, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will have no choice but to battle at whatever cost and defeat any effort at ‘Taiwan independence’ in order to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mr. Wei said, according to a spokesman.
The US defense minister called China’s military activity “provocative and destabilizing.” According to Mr. Anutin, a record number of Chinese planes have been seen flying near Taiwan almost every day, undermining peace and stability in the region.
Mr. Austin stated that the United States was committed to maintaining the status quo, recognizing Beijing as China’s sole government and opposing Taiwanese independence. He insisted that his country does not support any attempt to resolve China-Taiwan tensions by force.
Friday’s meeting, held at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, lasted an hour and was Mr. Anutin’s first meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Mr. Wei claimed that the discussions “went smoothly,” and both parties hailed them as amicable.
The US defense minister stressed the significance of keeping fully open communications with Beijing’s military to avoid any misunderstandings.
Taiwan announced last month that it had launched fighter jets into its air defense zone to warn off 30 Chinese warplanes, deemed the most serious Chinese incursion since January.
According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, the incident involved 22 Taiwanese fighters, electronic warfare, early warning, and anti-submarine aircraft.
