The Chinese defence minister, Dong Jun, has warned that anyone who dares pursue independence for Taiwan will be “crushed to pieces” and face “destruction”, as he accused external forces of dragging the island into “a dangerous situation”.
In a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s biggest defence summit, Dong said Beijing was committed to “peaceful unification” with Taiwan, but that it was prepared “for all kinds of extreme situations” and that any attempts to seek independence would be futile.
Beijing views Taiwan, which is democratically governed, as a province of China, and has described the island’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, as a “dangerous separatist”.
Dong, addressing defence and government officials on Sunday morning, said “separatists” had made “fanatical statements that show their betrayal of the Chinese nation and their ancestors”.
“They will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history,” he said.
He accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive party of pursuing separation in an incremental way. “They are bent on erasing the Chinese identity of Taiwan and severing social, historical and cultural links across the Taiwan strait,” he said.
External forces were also seeking to “embolden Taiwan independence separatists in an attempt to contain China with Taiwan”, he said. “These malicious intentions are dragging Taiwan into a dangerous situation.”
Taiwan’s presidential office said China had misrepresented the Taiwan government’s position at the forum, where Taiwan was not allowed to send representatives.
“China lacks the confidence to engage in dialogue with the Taiwan government, and its irrational remarks cannot gain international recognition,” the office said in a statement.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which makes policy concerning China, said it deeply regretted the “provocative and irrational” comments, and reiterated that the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island.
Dong’s comments came shortly after a meeting with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin – the first substantive face-to-face talks between the two defence chiefs in 18 months. The meeting lasted for more than an hour, according to reports.
Dong said China believed more exchanges were needed “precisely because there are differences between our two militaries”.
After the meeting, Austin said telephone conversations between US and Chinese military commanders would resume “in the coming months”.
Last month, China conducted mock missile strikes against Taiwan, in what it said was a test of its ability to “seize power”, and as “punishment” for “separatist acts” after Lai’s inauguration.
Taiwan’s government and people reject the prospect of Chinese rule, but China’s ruler, Xi Jinping, has not ruled out the use of force to take the island.
Dong said China was committed to peaceful unification, but added: “Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer his own destruction.”
“As a defence minister, to be very honest with you, we are prepared for all kinds of extreme situations that may happen with Taiwan independence and we are very confident in our capabilities to deter Taiwan independence,” he said.
During a question and answer session after Dong’s address in Singapore, he was reluctant to stray from the topic of Taiwan, which he described as being “at the core of China’s core interests”.
His speech also referenced the South China Sea, which has become a growing flashpoint in the region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite a UN tribunal finding this has no legal basis. It has repeatedly been accused of firing water cannon and carrying out dangerous manoeuvres to block Philippine coastguard boats from carrying out resupply missions to locations that fall within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Analysts have warned that, as incidents become more common, there is a growing risk of miscalculation that could pull the US, a Philippine ally, into confrontation with its rival Beijing. The Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has said that if any Filipino dies as a result of wilful actions by China, the Philippines will consider this close to “an act of war”, and that he believes the country’s treaty partners hold the same standard.
Dong, however, without naming the Philippines directly, accused Manila of increasing tensions, and warned of “limits” to Beijing’s restraint. In an apparent reference to the Philippines, he said: “A certain country, emboldened by outside powers, has broken agreements and its own promises, made premeditated provocations and created false scenarios to mislead the public.”
He added that this had endangered the security and stability of the region and that it would “eventually backfire”.
“China has maintained sufficient restraint in the face of rights infringements and provocation, but there are limits to this,” Dong said.
With Agence France-Presse
