China says it will defend its sovereignty over Taiwan at all costs

The Chinese defense minister met with his American colleague Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

 China warned that "it will not hesitate to start a war" if Taiwan declares independence, after a meeting in Singapore in which its defense minister and the United States discussed their positions on the island.

Meeting this Friday in Singapore with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, Chinese National Defense Minister Wei Fenghe reiterated the country's firm position on the Taiwan issue.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and the one-China principle forms the political foundation of China-US relations, Wei said.

Ministro de Defensa de #China dijo a su par de #EEUU que China siempre defiende el principio de objetividad y equidad con respecto al tema de Ucrania y está haciendo esfuerzos activamente para promover la paz y los diálogos pic.twitter.com/scUY3RE5Fo

— Iramsy Peraza (@IramsyteleSUR) June 10, 2022

The Chinese Defense Minister assured that the attempt to resort to Taiwan issues to contain his country will be doomed to failure.

According to Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian, during the meeting, Wei mentioned Washington's announcement of a new round of arms sales to Taiwan.

The minister claimed that the US seriously violates the one-China principle and the stipulations included in the three joint communiques between the two countries, Wu said.

Such action undermines China's sovereignty and security interests, and has caused serious damage to Sino-US ties and the peace and stability on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Wei made it clear that if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will have no choice but to fight at all costs to thwart any attempts at "Taiwan independence" and safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty. and territorial integrity.

In a conference after the meeting, the Minister of Defense stated that China would "squash" any attempt at the island's independence and would "determinedly defend the unification of the country."

Austin, on his side, "reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the (Taiwan) Strait," 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 toward Taiwan," according to the Pentagon.