If Taiwan goes independent, China would “not hesitate to launch a war,” China’s minister of defence told his US counterpart in their first face-to-face meetings on Friday.
Taiwan, a self-governing, democratic nation, is constantly threatened by Chinese invasion. China considers the territory to be its property and has pledged to conquer it one day.
Source: NDTV.com
- Earlier, the Chinese military has announced a “combat readiness patrol” within the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan, something China claims as a region of its own.
- According to AFP, China’s minister of defense informed his US counterpart on Friday that if Taiwan announces independence, China will “not hesitate to start another war.”
Officials stated, “If someone tries to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese army would not hesitate to launch a war at whatever cost,” Wu Qian cited minister of defence Wei Fenghe as stating during one of the meetings with Lloyd Austin.
As per the Chinese defence department, the Chinese minister also promised to “smash to smithereens any ‘Taiwan independence’ conspiracy and fiercely preserve the motherland’s union.”
According to the ministry, he “emphasized that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Using Taiwan to constrain China would never succeed.”
The conflict between the United States and China has been rising over democratic, self-ruled Taiwan, which is constantly threatened by Chinese invasion.
China considers the area to be its property and has pledged to reclaim it one day, using violent force.
According to the ministry, he “emphasised that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Using Taiwan to constrain China would never succeed.”
By the US Defence Department, Austin “reinforced the significance of peace in the region across the (Taiwan) Strait, resistance to coercive alterations to the status quo, and urged on (China) to desist from additional destabilising activities against Taiwan.”
Tensions in Taiwan have risen, owing in part to increased Chinese aircraft intrusions within the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
The patrols and aviation intrusions into Taiwan’s ADIZ occurred during Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (left) meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. [Taiwan Presidential Office/Reuters/Handout] – Source – Aljazeera
During an official visit the previous month, US President Joe Biden seemed to defy years of US policy when, in answer to a question, he stated that Washington will protect Taiwan militarily if it was invaded by China.
Since then, the White House has maintained that its strategy of “strategic ambiguity” about whether or not to act hasn’t altered.
Austin is the newest top US official to travel to Asia as Washington strives to redirect its foreign policy attention away from the Ukraine conflict and towards the area.
Aside from Taiwan, China and the US have been embroiled in a number of other issues. They were at odds amid Russia’s takeover of Ukraine, with Washington charging China of giving Moscow implicit assistance.
The US has authorised a potential $120 million supply of components to Taiwan to assist it in sustaining its battleships, which the island’s defence department said would assist in maintaining combat capability in the face of China’s “frequent actions” near the shore.
The United States Defence Security Cooperation Agency reported that it had submitted the requisite notification to Congress after State Department permission for the transaction, which was negotiated by Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington.
It stated that the transaction included declassified replacement and repair parts for warships and marine equipment, logistic additional support, and technical and logistical support from the US government and contractor representatives.
Taiwan’s defence department said the agreement was likely to go into force in a month and thanked the US for its assistance in enabling Taiwan to defend itself.
“In wake of the latest frequent actions of Chinese battleships in our country’s sea and airspace, the ship components that the US has committed to sell will assist maintain the right equipment and consumption of our navy ships and satisfy the actual demands of battle readiness missions,” they mentioned.
The democratically ruled territory has protested about frequent operations by China’s air force in its air defence region, which Washington views as part of China’s new effort to coerce Taipei into recognising its authority.
“One China” is the rationale for China’s new contention that Taiwan is only a part of the continent, not an independent nation. Taiwan’s status, meanwhile, remained unclear in the United States.
