Resolving ‘Taiwan question’ is national priority, says minister

BEIJING: China’s defence minister Wei Fenghe said that resolving the “Taiwan question” is his country’s “greatest national interest”, and that no force could prevent China’s “reunification”.

Separatist activities are doomed to failure, Wei said at the opening of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have ratcheted up ahead of the self-ruled island’s presidential election in January.

“China is the only major country in the world that is yet to be completely reunified,” Wei said.

“Resolving the Taiwan question so as to realise China’s full reunification is the irresistible trend of the times, China’s greatest national interest, the righteous path to follow and the longing of all Chinese people.”

China regards Taiwan as its sacred territory, to be brought under Beijing’s rule, by force if needed, a message President Xi Jinping reiterated at the start of this year.

China has also been angered by US support for Taiwan, including arms sales.

Washington has no formal ties with Taipei, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

“No one and no force can ever stop China’s full reunification. We are committed to promoting the peaceful development of cross-Taiwan strait relations and the peaceful reunification of the country,” Wei said.

“However we will never allow separatists for Taiwan independence to have their way, nor allow interference by any external forces.

“Advancing China’s reunification is a just cause, while separatist activities are doomed to failure.”

The United States and China have clashed across multiple fronts in recent years, not only because of the bitter trade war but also because of efforts by Washington to check what it perceives as growing capabilities of Beijing’s armed forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wei yesterday reiterated that Beijing is a “peace-loving nation” that would never strike first and does not pose a threat to the rest of the world.

“The China-US military relationship is generally stable but we are confronted with many difficulties and challenges,” he said.

“Cooperation between the two militaries on strategic communication, mutual trust and risk control should be further strengthened.”

The United States has also angered China by repeatedly conducting what it calls “freedom of navigation” operations by ships close to islands China occupies in the South China Sea.

“The South China Sea islands and Diaoyu islands are inalienable parts of China’s territory.

“We will not allow even an inch of territory that our ancestors have left to us to be taken away,” Wei said.