The defense minister warns that his US counterpart, China, “will not hesitate to start the war” if the self-governing island participates in a “conspiracy of independence.”
China “will not hesitate to start a war” and will “shatter” any effort for Taiwan’s independence, its defense minister warned his US counterpart in the couple’s first face-to-face talks.
“If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will definitely not hesitate to start a war at all costs,” Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said Friday during a meeting with Lloyd Austin.
“The PLA [People’s Liberation Army] I would have no choice but to fight … and crush any attempt at Taiwan’s independence, while safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. “
Despite the combative words, Wei said the talks with Austin “went smoothly.”
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore for nearly an hour, twice the time initially allotted.
The Chinese minister also vowed that Beijing “would destroy any plot of independence from Taiwan and resolutely defend the unification of the motherland,” according to the Chinese Ministry of Defense.
“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan … Taiwan’s use to contain China will never prevail,” it said in a statement.
“Operating Behavior”
Taiwan, a democratic and self-governing island, lives under the constant threat of China’s invasion. Beijing considers the island as its territory and has pledged to seize it one day, by force if necessary.
Austin told Wei that Beijing should refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan, the Pentagon said.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most of the meeting focused on Taiwan, and Austin reiterated that Washington’s position on Taiwan did not change, while criticizing the “military aggression” by China.
“The United States has major concerns about increasing PLA behavior, especially unsafe, aggressive, and unprofessional behavior, and is concerned that the PLA may be trying to change the status quo through its operational behavior,” the official said.
A Chinese fighter jet dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance aircraft in the South China Sea region in May, and the Canadian military accused Chinese warplanes of harassing their patrol aircraft while controlling North Korean sanctions evasion.
Austin and Wei’s first face-to-face meeting comes as U.S. President Joe Biden seeks to devote more time to Asian security issues after months of concentrating on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although both sides say they want to better manage their relationship, Beijing and Washington remain polarized in a variety of volatile security situations, from Taiwan’s sovereignty to China’s military activity in the South China Sea and the invasion. of Ukraine by Russia.
The United States is Taiwan’s largest international support and arms supplier, a constant source of friction between Washington and Beijing.
In the latest arms package, the United States on Wednesday announced the sale of parts for Taiwanese naval vessels at an estimated cost of $ 120 million.
During the meeting, Wei told Austin that the sale “seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests,” according to the state-run military channel CCTV.
China has increased military activity near the island over the past two years in response to what it calls “collusion” between Taipei and Washington.
“Authoritarian expansionism”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said his country was determined to defend itself and hoped that the decision would “bring together fellow democrats in our cause”, vowing not to bow to pressure. .
Taiwan says only its people have the right to decide the future of the island. His government says that while it wants peace with China, it will defend itself if necessary.
Tsai said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has once again shown that “these regimes” will not stop at anything in pursuit of expansionist goals.
“As we look at images from halfway around the world of atrocities committed against another democracy on the front lines of authoritarian expansionism, I would like to stress that, like Ukraine, Taiwan will not bend under pressure,” he added, without directly mentioning China.