China will “fight to the end” to prevent Taiwan from declaring independence, the country’s defense minister has promised in a speech to his counterparts in other countries, including the United States.
“We will fight at all costs and fight to the end. This is the only option for China,” Wei Fenghe said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, where he called Taiwan “first and foremost Taiwan. of China “.
“Those seeking Taiwan’s independence in an attempt to divide China will definitely not have a good end. No one should ever underestimate the determination and ability of the Chinese armed forces to safeguard its territorial integrity.”
His speech came a day after U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin accused China of “provocative and destabilizing” military activity near the island.
Beijing considers democratic and self-governing Taiwan as a part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. Tensions between the US and China over the island have increased, in particular due to a growing number of Chinese air raids on Taiwan’s air defense zone.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to Wei Fenghe’s speech. Photo: Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty Images
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has denounced China’s claims to its sovereignty as “absurd” and thanked US support.
“Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, and the people of Taiwan will not succumb to the Chinese government’s threats of force,” said ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou.
Wei said on Sunday that it was up to the United States to improve the bilateral relationship, and said the ties were at a critical juncture.
“We urge the United States to stop defaming and containing China. Stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The bilateral relationship cannot improve if the United States cannot do so,” he told US. Wei delegates, dressed in the uniform of a General of the People’s Liberation Army.
Wei accused the US of trying to “hijack” the support of other nations in the region under the guise of multilateralism.
In his speech, Austin had stressed the need for multilateral collaborations with the Indo-Pacific nations, which Wei suggested was an attempt to bring China into a corner.
“No country should impose its will on others or intimidate others under the guise of multilateralism,” Wei said. “The strategy is an attempt to build an exclusive small group in the name of a free and open Indo-Pacific to hijack countries in our region and target a specific country; it is a strategy to create conflicts and confrontations to contain and encircle the others. “
But he also took a more conciliatory tone at some points, calling for a “stable” relationship between China and the United States, which he said was “vital to global peace.”
During his speech, Austin also said that he wants the “lines of communication” with Chinese officials to remain open. The couple held their first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the Singapore summit on Friday, during which they clashed in Taiwan.
U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to Japan last month appeared to be breaking decades of U.S. politics when, in response to a question, he said Washington would militarily defend Taiwan if attacked by China.
Since then, the White House has insisted that its policy of “strategic ambiguity” about whether or not to intervene had not changed.
Also in Singapore on Sunday, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said his country would drastically improve its defense capabilities and work closely with the United States to counter Korea’s nuclear and missile threat. North.
Lee said the situation on the Korean peninsula posed a global threat and urged North Korea to immediately end its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
“Our government will strengthen capacity to better implement expanded U.S. deterrents and drastically improve response capabilities,” Lee said.
North Korea has promoted its key nuclear negotiator to foreign minister, state media said on Saturday, while leader Kim Jong-un promised his party in government that it would use “power for power” to fight threats to the sovereignty of the country.
North Korea has conducted at least 18 weapons tests this year, highlighting its evolving nuclear and missile arsenals.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse