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China will never pledge to renounce the use of force on Taiwan, Beijing’s government said Wednesday after another series of exercises and a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the scene of a famous defeat of Taiwanese forces.
China staged a day of drills around the island on October 14, saying they were a warning of “separatist acts” following last week’s National Day speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, reports Reuters.
“We are willing to commit ourselves to the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and commitment,” Chen Binhua, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular news conference in Beijing.
“But we will never commit to giving up the use of force,” he said. This, however, is aimed at the interference of “external forces” and the very small number of Taiwan separatists, not the vast majority of Taiwan’s population,” Chen said.
Taiwan has close unofficial relations with the United States, a major arms supplier, and its allies.
“No matter how many troops Taiwan has and how many weapons it acquires, and no matter whether external forces intervene or not, if Taiwan dares to take risks, it will lead to its own destruction,” he added. “Our actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not cease for a moment.”
Chinese state media reported on October 16 that President Xi had arrived the day before on Dongshan Island in the Chinese province of Fujian, which overlooks Taiwan and where in 1953 China repelled an attempted invasion by the Nationalist army of Taiwan.
The defeated government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. No armistice or peace treaty was ever signed.
Xi was on the island to be briefed on efforts to revitalize the countryside and “strengthening the protection of cultural heritage”, the Renmin Ribao without mentioning Taiwan.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claims of sovereignty, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei on Wednesday morning, Director General of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Tsai Ming-yen said China’s exercises have backfired given the international condemnation they have generated, particularly from Washington.” . The Chinese communists’ military exercise created a negative effect as it made the international community more supportive of Taiwan,” he said.
President Lai, in his speech on October 10, said that China has no right to represent Taiwan, but the island was willing to work together with the Beijing government to combat challenges such as climate change, adopting a firm tone and conciliatory meeting that Taiwan officials called a show of goodwill.
Chen, the Chinese spokesman, said Lai had stuck to his “stubborn separatist position.” “There was no goodwill to speak of,” Chen said. Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China, all of which have been rejected.
On October 14, the Chinese military kept open the possibility of more exercises around Taiwan depending on the level of “provocation.”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China was trying to legitimize the use of force against Taiwan, undermine military morale and “reduce the military’s combat power.”
“In response to the severity of the enemy threat, the Army continues to maintain a high level of vigilance and make every effort to enhance training and preparedness,” he said.
Over the past five years, China has sent warships and planes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis. On the morning of October 16, in its daily update on Chinese activities over the past 24 hours, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft and five navy ships around Taiwan.
Lucia Giannini
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