SINGAPORE – Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun Sunday issued a stern warning on Taiwan and the South China Sea at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore D
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun Sunday issued a stern warning on Taiwan and the South China Sea at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
During his 40-minute-long keynote speech, Dong accused Taiwan’s government under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors highlighting Taiwan’s sovereignty, of ‘pursuing separation [from China] in an incremental way’ while external forces continue to sell arms to Taiwan and maintain ‘illegal’ official contacts with Taiwan.
‘What they are doing is to embolden Taiwan independence separatists in an attempt to contain China with Taiwan,’ he told a room full of delegates from dozens of countries, warning that these moves will push Taiwan into ‘a dangerous situation.’
He reiterated that China’s handling of the Taiwan issue is entirely its internal affair and that Beijing remains committed to achieving unification with Taiwan through peaceful means.
‘Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction,’ Dong warned, adding that the People’s Liberation Army remains committed to taking actions to curb attempts to pursue Taiwan independence.
Dong’s comments came a week after China launched a two-day, large-scale military exercise encircling Taiwan, which Beijing said was a move to ‘punish’ Taiwan President Lai Ching-te for the messages he conveyed through his inauguration speech on May 20, during which he emphasized that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other.
During his Saturday keynote speech to the forum, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin only briefly mentioned the Taiwan issue, reiterating that Washington is committed to upholding the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
In a remark viewed as an indirect reference to China’s large-scale war games around Taiwan, Austin highlighted the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue rather than coercion or ‘punishment.’
‘[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression is a glimpse of a world where tyrants trample sovereign borders, a world where peaceful states live in fear of their neighbors, and a world where chaos and conquest replace rules and rights,’ he said.
