China warned this Friday that “it will not hesitate to start a war” if Taiwan declares independence, after a meeting in Singapore in which his defense minister and that of the United States confronted their positions on the island de facto separated from the authority of Beijing since 1949.
The Chinese minister, Wei Fenghe, met for the first time with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of the so-called Shangri-la Dialogue, a forum of senior military officials, diplomats and arms companies that takes place in Singapore until 12 June.
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Taiwan’s status has been the subject of diplomatic friction between China and the United States in recent years. Beijing considers this island of 24 million inhabitants as one of its provinces, in which the nationalist troops defeated on the mainland by the communist forces of Mao Tse-tung took refuge in 1949.
Indeed, China often reiterates its goal of retaking the island sooner or later and, if necessary, by force.
“If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to start a war at all costs,” Wei said during the meeting with his American counterpart, said Wu Qian, the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman.
If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to start a war no matter what.
The minister also said that Beijing would “squash” any attempt at the island’s independence and would “resolutely defend the unification of the motherland.”
Wei also insisted that the island belongs to China and that The United States should not “use Taiwan to contain China“, according to the ministry.
Austin, on his side, “reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the strait [de Taiwán]”, which separates the island from the mainland.
The defense secretary also expressed his rejection of “unilateral changes to the status quo” and urged Beijing to “refrain from further destabilizing actions towards Taiwan,” according to the Pentagon.
Tensions around Taiwan have intensified in recent weeks, most notably over the May raids by Chinese military aircraft on Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (“Adiz”), the largest such operation since the beginning of the year.
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frictions
During a visit to Japan in late May, US President Joe Biden surprised by stating that Washington would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded the island.
Shortly after, the White House qualified its statements and assured that the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” with Taiwan remained unchanged.
Austin is the latest US official to visit Asia at a time when Washington is seeking to refocus its foreign policy on the region since the Ukraine war.
The Russian offensive is in fact another point of friction between Beijing and Washington, which accuses China of tacitly supporting Moscow.
China is in favor of starting talks to end the war, but has not condemned the Russian invasion and has repeatedly criticized US arms deliveries to kyiv.
The China’s broad claims in the South China Sea have also fueled tensions with Washington..
Beijing claims almost all of the sea, rich in resources and through which billions of dollars in maritime trade pass annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of that area.
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Austin arrived in Singapore on Thursday and met with several of his counterparts on Friday.
During a meeting with defense ministers from Southeast Asia, he stressed that the US strategy sought to “maintain an open regional security environmentinclusive and based on law,” according to a Singapore government statement.
His statement indirectly referred to the actions of China, which seeks to increase its influence in the region.
AFP
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