China “will not hesitate to start a war” and “crush” any of Taiwan’s independence efforts, its defense minister warned his US counterpart in the first face-to-face talks between the couple. “If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will certainly not hesitate to start a war regardless of the cost,” said Defense Minister Wei Fenghe during a meeting with Lloyd Austin on Friday. “The PLA [People’s Liberation Army] “He would have no choice but to fight… and crush any attempt by Taiwan’s independence, preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Despite the fighting, 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 almost an hour, twice the time originally scheduled. The Chinese minister also vowed that Beijing “will thwart any plan for Taiwan’s independence and resolutely support the unification of the homeland,” according to the Chinese Ministry of Defense. “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Taiwan’s use to restrain China will never prevail,” she said in a statement.
“Functional behavior”
Taiwan – a self-governing, democratic island – is under constant threat of invasion by China. Beijing considers the island as its territory and has pledged to occupy it one day – by force if necessary. Austin told Wei that Beijing should “refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan,” the Pentagon said. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said most of the meeting focused on Taiwan and Austin reiterated that Washington’s position on Taiwan was unchanged, while criticizing China’s “military aggression”. “The United States is deeply concerned about the rise of PLA behavior, particularly unsafe, aggressive, unprofessional behavior, and is concerned that PLA may seek to change the status quo through its business behavior,” the official said. A Chinese fighter jet has dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance aircraft in the South China Sea region in May, and the Canadian military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrols as they watch sanctions imposed on North Korea. The first face-to-face meeting between Austin and Wei takes place as US President Joe Biden seeks to spend more time on Asian security issues after months of focusing on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although both sides say they want to better manage their relationship, Beijing and Washington remain polarized over various unstable security situations, from Taiwan’s sovereignty to China’s military activity in the South China Sea and the Russian invasion. in Ukraine. The United States is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and supplier of arms, a source of constant friction between Washington and Beijing. In the latest arms package, the United States on Wednesday announced the sale of spare parts for Taiwanese navy ships 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 CCTV military channel. China has stepped up military activity near the island in the past two years in response to what it calls a “collusion” between Taipei and Washington.
“Authoritarian expansion”
Meanwhile, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said her country is determined to defend itself and is confident that this determination “will unite our fellow democrats for our cause”, pledging not to succumb to pressure. Taiwan says only its people have the right to decide the future of the island. Her government says that while it wants peace with China, it will defend itself if necessary. Chai said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed once again that “these regimes” will not stop at anything in pursuit of expansionist goals. “As we watch images of half the world away from the atrocities committed against another democracy on the front lines of authoritarian expansion, I would like to stress that, like Ukraine, Taiwan will not succumb to pressure,” he said, without directly mentioning China. .