‘Smash to smithereens’: China threatens all-out war over Taiwan
“If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,”
China has warned the US that any attempt to make Taiwan independent from China will trigger military action by Beijing's forces.
Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Singapore, reports BBC.
"If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost," Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said during a meeting with Lloyd Austin on Friday.
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"The PLA [People's Liberation Army] would have no choice but to fight … and crush any attempt of Taiwan independence, safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Despite the combative words, Wei said the talks with Austin "went smoothly".
Mr Austin later called Chinese military activity "provocative, destabilising".
He said there were record numbers of Chinese aircraft flying near the island on a near-daily basis, which "undermine peace and stability in the region".
China views self-ruled Taiwan as an integral part of China's territory, a stance that prompted Mr Wei to condemn US arms sales to Taiwan.
The Chinese minister also pledged that Beijing would "smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland", according to the Chinese defence ministry.
"Taiwan is China's Taiwan… Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail," it said in a statement.
It was the first meeting of the US and Chinese defence chiefs and lasted nearly an hour, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.
Mr Austin spoke of the importance of maintaining fully open lines of communications with China's military, to avoid any misunderstanding.
In late May Taiwan said it had deployed fighter jets to warn off 30 warplanes sent by China into its air defence zone. The incident marked the biggest Chinese incursion since January.
The incident involved 22 Taiwanese fighters, as well as electronic warfare, early warning and anti-submarine aircraft, Taiwan's defence ministry said.
