China’s defense chief says Beijing ready to ‘forcefully’ prevent Taiwan independence

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun warned on Sunday that his military was prepared to end Taiwan’s independence “by force”, while also calling for increased dialogue with the United States. The comments were made at an annual security forum in Singapore, following the first substantive in-person discussions between the two countries’ defense chiefs in 18 months.

Dong told the forum on Sunday: “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has always been an indestructible and powerful force in defending the unification of the motherland, and it will act with determination and force at all times to curb China’s independence. Taiwan and ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts. He added: “Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will be crushed and face their own destruction. »

Dong stressed that China has always been receptive to exchanges and cooperation, but stressed that the two sides must meet halfway. He expressed the belief that more exchanges were needed precisely because of the differences between the two armies. The meeting between Dong and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin lasted more than an hour at the luxury hotel hosting the forum, which is attended by defense officials from around the world and was recently seen as a gauge of relations between the United States and China.

After the meeting, Austin announced that telephone conversations between US and Chinese military commanders would resume “in the coming months”, while Beijing praised the “stabilization” of security relations between the two nations. This year’s Shangri-La Dialogue comes a week after China conducted military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan and warned of a US-backed war on the island following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has described as a “dangerous separatist”.

The Biden administration and China have stepped up communications to reduce tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing and Shanghai last month, focusing on resuming military-to-military dialogue to avoid an escalation of disputes.

China cut off military communications with the United States in 2022 following the visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Relations have been further strained by incidents such as the landing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over U.S. airspace, meetings between Taiwanese and U.S. officials, and U.S. military aid to Taipei.

China has also expressed anger over the strengthening of US defense ties in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly with the Philippines, and the regular deployment of US warships and fighter jets to the Strait of China. Taiwan and the South China Sea. Beijing views these actions as part of a prolonged U.S. strategy to contain it.

(With contribution from agencies)