Military moves around Kinmen monitored
Mainland spokesman condemns Taiwan drills, external interference
The Chinese mainland is closely monitoring the movements of the Taiwan military around Kinmen, an island administered by Taiwan that is close to the mainland coast, a mainland spokesman said on Wednesday.
The Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan recently announced plans for live-fire drills on Kinmen, Lieyu Island and other areas in April, sparking public concerns in Taiwan.
The Taiwan military said the actions are part of routine training exercises and are not targeted at anyone.
Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said: “Whether it is ‘routine’ training or ‘targeted’ provocation, the DPP authorities know better than anyone else.”
The people of Kinmen have experienced the transition between war and peace, and they increasingly cherish peace and oppose war, he said.
“They have made the right choice between ‘firing guns’ and ‘building bridges’,” Chen said.
“If the Taiwan military provokes and dares to act recklessly, it will surely fail.”
Chen also condemned remarks by US Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the United States’ Indo-Pacific Command, who recently claimed that China would be prepared to use force against Taiwan by 2027.
“When and how to resolve the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and China does not tolerate any external interference,” Chen said.
He condemned US politicians for having malicious intentions and continuously fabricating “timelines”, hyping up the mainland’s “military threats”, and exaggerating the atmosphere of war in the Taiwan Strait.
“This is simply providing excuses for interfering in the Taiwan question and profiteering for the US military-industrial complex,” he said.
If the US government genuinely wants to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it should take concrete actions to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques, ensuring that pledges not to support “Taiwan independence” are actually put into practice, he added.
Chen said that Taiwan’s DPP authorities, driven by their own interests, willingly serve as pawns for external forces to use Taiwan to contain the mainland, continuously seeking “independence” and even sacrificing the well-being and lives of Taiwan people.
They vigorously cater to the US, turning Taiwan into a “powder keg” and a “minefield”, he said, adding that their actions are not in the interests of the people of Taiwan and will only further push Taiwan into a dangerous situation of potential conflict and war.
Chen said that Taiwan is part of China. Resolving the Taiwan question and achieving complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all Chinese people, a sacred mission and a just cause.