A day after conducting intense military drills around Taiwan, China warned the US that pursuing “Taiwan’s independence” is a “dead end” and “will only backfire.” This statement, made on Friday, followed reports of a US official urging Beijing to exercise restraint regarding the cross-strait situation.
“There will be a dead end for those who engage in ‘Taiwan independence’, and to connive support for ‘Taiwan independence’ will only backfire” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.
China emphasized that the US is not in a position to criticize its stance on Taiwan. “Nothing will deter us from defending our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we will do anything necessary to thwart any move aimed at ‘Taiwan independence,'” stated Wang Wenbin.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to use force to control it. Wenbin reiterated that efforts toward Taiwan’s independence are destined to fail. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is both a historical fact and the true status quo, and will not change in the future,” he said.
Responding to a question about the military drills and US remarks, Wenbin asserted that “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan” and that it is not for the US to comment on the matter.
He also added that the main issue causing tensions across the Taiwan Strait is the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan, which seeks US support for its independence.
“The root cause of the tensions across the Taiwan Strait is the DPP authorities’ attempt to rely on the US to seek independence. They have been trying to contain China with Taiwan as a pretext. If the US truly wants to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it should clearly and unequivocally abide by the One China principle and oppose Taiwan independence,” said Wenbin.
Wenbin stressed that supporting Taiwan’s independence would lead to trouble and reiterated China’s commitment to defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly opposing Taiwan’s independence.
Following the swearing-in of Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te as President, China launched two-day military drills on Thursday surrounding Taiwan, which it described as “punishment” for “separatist acts,” according to CNN.
During the drills, dozens of Chinese fighter jets carrying live ammunition conducted mock strikes against “high-value military targets” of the “enemy,” alongside destroyers, frigates, and missile speedboats.
