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Taiwan
ChinaDiplomacy

Beijing decries ‘contradictory’ US remarks about Taiwan, promises to ‘speak with actions’ against separatist activity

  • Defence ministry spokesman says mainland still hopes for peaceful reunification but will act if Taipei politicians ‘refuse to come to their senses’
  • The comments come after Pentagon official says PLA unlikely to attack island by 2030, while CIA director says Xi wants military ready by 2027

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Taiwan plans to send at least 500 soldiers to the US for combat training later this year. Photo: AP
Teddy Ng
Beijing accused the United States of presenting a “contradictory” assessment of the risk of a military conflict in Taiwan and said that if Taipei politicians continued to “collude with external forces”, they could push the island into a dangerous position.
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Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thursday that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was determined to block efforts promoting Taiwan independence.
US assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs Ely Ratner said on February 9 that Beijing was unlikely to attack Taiwan by 2030, and the Pentagon did not believe that an attack was imminent.

But US Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns said on February 2 that Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered the military to be ready to conduct an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

He said that did not mean Beijing had decided to attack Taiwan in 2027, but that the US should not underestimate Xi’s ambitions with regard to the island.

“We’ve noticed that the US side seems to be in the habit of making such contradictory remarks,” Tan said in a press conference on Thursday.

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Tan said Beijing was still striving for peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but added that the PLA would take decisive action to safeguard its territory.

He said if Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities refused to “come to their senses” and continued to “collude with external forces” to pursue independence, potentially “putting Taiwan compatriots in a dangerous situation”, the PLA would “speak out with actions” and take necessary measures to defeat separatist activities.
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