Beijing says it will “make efforts to achieve peaceful reunification” with the island, but will not abandon military force if necessary.
Beijing reaffirmed threats to use military force to to take Taiwan under its control, against the background of threatening Chinese military exercises near the island, which have raised tensions between the two sides to the highest level in recent years, reports AR.
China said that ” will make every effort to achieve a peaceful reunification” with the island.
“But we will not give up the use of force and reserve the opportunity to take all necessary measures. This was done to protect against external interference and any separatist activity,” the statement said.
“We will always be ready to respond with the use of force or other necessary means to the intervention of external forces or radical actions of separatist elements. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the prospect of China's peaceful reunification and advance this process,” Beijing added.
China says the tough moves were prompted by a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but the island says , that such visits are routine and Beijing only used it as an excuse to increase threats.
In response to Pelosi's visit, China said it was ending cooperation with the US in several areas. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has warned that Beijing's military exercises reflect China's ambitions to control large parts of the Pacific Ocean. According to him, Beijing's strategy may include controlling the East and South China Seas through the Taiwan Strait and imposing a blockade so that the US and its allies cannot help the island if Beijing attacks it.
China has continued military exercises without specifying when they will end. With its maneuvering, Beijing has moved closer to Taiwan's borders and may be seeking to establish a new norm under which it can eventually control access to the island's ports and airspace. In response to China's exercises, Taiwan has put its troops on alert, but has so far refrained from active countermeasures.
The US has shown that it is ready to face China's threats. Washington does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan out of deference to Beijing, but is legally bound to ensure that the island can defend itself and to view all threats against Taiwan as a matter of grave concern.
This leaves open the question of whether Washington will send forces if China attacks Taiwan.
China's military maneuvers have disrupted flights in a region crucial to global supply chains, prompting sharp condemnation from USA, Japan and other countries.
In addition to geopolitical risks, a prolonged crisis in the Taiwan Strait, an important artery of global trade, could have serious consequences for international supply chains at a time when the world is already facing disruption and uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war against Ukraine.
Read also: WP editor: China can learn five lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine
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