Won’t hesitate to start out struggle over Taiwan, warns Chinese defence min to US counterpart

China’s defence minister Wei Fenghe has warned his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that Beijing wouldn’t hesitate to start out a struggle if Taiwan declares independence, or if anybody dared to attempt to cut up Taiwan from China.

China’s defence minister Wei Fenghe has stated that any try and separate Taiwan from China would lead to struggle. (File picture)

Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war” if Taiwan declares independence, China’s defence minister warned his US counterpart on Friday within the pair’s first face-to-face talks, officers stated. “If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,” Wu Qian quoted defence minister Wei Fenghe as saying throughout a gathering with Lloyd Austin.

The Chinese minister additionally vowed that Beijing would “smash to smithereens any ‘Taiwan independence’ plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland”, in accordance with the Chinese defence ministry.

He “stressed that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail”, the ministry stated.

Austin advised his Chinese counterpart throughout the talks in Singapore that Beijing should “refrain from further destabilising actions towards Taiwan”, the US Department of Defense stated.

Taiwan, a self-ruled, democratic island, lives beneath the fixed menace of invasion by China. Beijing views the island as its territory and has vowed to sooner or later seize it, by pressure if crucial.