PLA flights near Taiwan a warning to foreign forces

Frequent flights by People's Liberation Army aircraft near Taiwan are a warning to foreign forces to stop interfering in China's internal affairs, Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday.

The deployments resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and warn "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces to stop provocations, Zhu said when commenting on recent PLA Air Force drills in the Taiwan Straits.

"Only by doing so can we safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, safeguard the common interests of compatriots on both sides and protect the prospect of peaceful reunification across the Straits," she said.

Zhu said that Taiwan is an integral part of China and the country's will and determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity remain unchanged.

In order to effectively respond to foreign forces and a small number of "Taiwan independence" separatists, the Chinese mainland will not promise to renounce the use of force and reserves the option of taking all measures, she said.

For some time, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on Taiwan and separatist forces have been making provocations for "independence" in an attempt to split the country and undermine the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, Zhu said.

They have seriously damaged the interests of compatriots on both sides and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, she said.

Taiwan media reported that there were more than 10 flights by PLA aircraft in airspace near Taiwan over the past weekend.

The US State Department issued a statement on Saturday, urging the Chinese mainland to stop pressuring Taiwan and to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.

Zhu said the DPP has relied on the US to seek "independence" in the past four years, which has led to complex and severe cross-Straits relations. She said the DPP is now attempting to solidify the collusion with the new US government.

She urged the US to deal with the Taiwan question carefully, saying: "It concerns China's core interests and the feelings of the Chinese people. It is the most important and sensitive issue at the core of China-US relations."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged the US on Monday to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and refrain from sending any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces so as to avoid damaging China-US relations and peace and stability across the Straits.