Sun 12 June 2022:
China’s defense minister promised Sunday that the country will “fight to the end” to prevent Taiwanese independence, escalating already high tensions with the US over the island.
The superpowers are involved in a verbal battle over the self-governing, democratic island, which Beijing sees as part of its territory that needs to be reunited.
Frequent Chinese aviation incursions near Taiwan have heightened diplomatic tensions, and in an address to the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting on Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned Beijing of “destabilizing” military activity.
Defence Minister Wei Fenghe hit back in a fiery address at the same event, saying Beijing had “no choice” but to fight if attempts are made to separate Taiwan from China.
“We will fight at all cost, and we will fight to the very end,” he said.
“No one should ever underestimate the resolve and ability of the Chinese armed forces to safeguard its territorial integrity.”
“Those who pursue Taiwanese independence in an attempt to split China will definitely come to no good end,” he added.
Wei urged Washington to “stop smearing and containing China… stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop harming China’s interests”.
But he also struck a more conciliatory tone at points, calling for a “stable” China-US relationship, which he said was “vital for global peace”.
During his address, Austin stressed the importance of “fully open lines of communication with China’s defence leaders” in avoiding miscalculations.
The pair held their first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the summit in Singapore on Friday, during which they clashed over Taiwan.
Tensions over Taiwan have escalated in particular due to increasing Chinese military aircraft incursions into the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
President Joe Biden, during a visit to Japan last month, appeared to break decades of US policy when, in response to a question, he said Washington would defend Taiwan militarily if it was attacked by China.
The White House has since insisted its policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would intervene had not changed.
The dispute is just the latest between Washington and Beijing, who have clashed over everything from the South China Sea to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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