With a little more time, they will be approaching parity

 

China threatens Defense Secretary with WAR: Minister tells Lloyd Austin that Beijing will 'smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot' and will 'definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost'

• Def Sec Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart who said China was prepared to 'go to war' in order to keep Taiwan from becoming independent
• Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe met for the first time face-to-face on Friday amid the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
• 'If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,' the Chinese Defense Sec stated 
• Austin shared his concerns about China's recent behavior and military activity around the self-governing island
• Austin noted a 'steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,' including almost daily military flights near the island by the PRC'

By JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 

PUBLISHED: 01:53 EDT, 11 June 2022 | UPDATED: 04:21 EDT, 11 June 2022 

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• e-mail
• 
  

1.4kshares

2.1k

View comments

China has said it is prepared to go to war in order to defend its right to keep Taiwanfrom becoming an independent state.  

China will 'smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland' Chinese Defense Minister Fenghe told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Friday.

'If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost', Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian quoted the Fenghe as saying during the meeting, in what is a escalating of tension, not least of which in the type of language being used.   

'It's like asking Mrs Kane to captain England': Princess Anne's husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence leaves crowd in stitches with football joke as he steps in for his wife at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and other top stories from June 11, 2022.

Pause

Full-screen

READ MORE

Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe who bemoaned new American arms sales to Taiwan announced this week, saying it 'seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests.' 

China 'firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,' Wei told told Austin.

Wei was quoted as saying China would respond to any move toward formal Taiwan independence by 'smashing it even at any price, including war.'

Austin made it clear at the meeting that while the U.S. does not support Taiwanese independence, it also has major concerns about China's recent behavior and military activity around the self-governing island suggested Beijing might be attempting to change the status quo.

• 
  

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, left, and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met for the first time face-to-face at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday 

• 
  

China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe (4rd R) met  US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) at a ministerial roundtable luncheon at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore today 

• 
  

Fenghe (R) greets US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) as he sits across from Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen during the ministerial roundtable luncheon 

• 
  

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared his concerns about China's recent behavior and military activity around the self-governing island

• 
  

• 
  

The strongly-worded rhetoric is an escalation in the tensions between China and Taiwan

Austin noted a 'steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,' including almost daily military flights near the island by the People's Republic of China.

'Our policy hasn't changed, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be true for the PRC,' he said.

Austin said there had been an 'alarming' increase in the number of unsafe and unprofessional encounters between Chinese planes and vessels with those of other countries.

A Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May and Canada's military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitor North Korea sanction evasions.