China warns it will smash any 'Taiwan independence' acts

If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will resolutely smash any "Taiwan independence" acts even at the cost of war, the Chinese defense minister told his US counterpart on Friday.

General Wei Fenghe, a State councilor and minister of national defense, reiterated China's firm stance on Taiwan while meeting with United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, according to Wu Qian, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense.

Wei stressed that the People's Liberation Army will relentlessly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from the motherland, the Chinese military will definitely smash the act at any costs, even by going to a war.

He said the US's recent announcement on arms sales to Taiwan has severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, seriously damaged China's sovereignty and security, and gravely jeopardized the China-US relationship as well as the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. Therefore, China expresses strong indignation and opposition, he said.

The Chinese general stressed that there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-US relationship while the attempts of playing the "Taiwan card" to contain China will be in vain. The meeting between Wei and Austin was the first time the two defense heads talked in person.

During their meeting, Wei also told Austin that the US must not interfere in China's internal affairs and jeopardize China's interests for the sake of the bilateral ties.

China is willing to establish a "sound, stable great-power relationship" with the US and that should be a shared goal for both sides.

He said the US must treat China's development with a rational perspective. The US must not demonize and contain China, and also must not interfere in China's domestic affairs nor damage China's interests so as to achieve a good China-US relationship, the minister said.

Wei noted that a stable military-to-military relation is crucial to bilateral relations and the two militaries should avoid confrontation and conflict.

Wei has been in Singapore since Wednesday to attend the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue and visit the Southeast Asian nation.