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China defence chief’s hard line on Taiwan ‘a message for the region’
- Li Shangfu says Beijing will ‘absolutely not’ renounce force against the island, in a meeting with his Singapore counterpart
- Experts said Li’s remarks ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue are a warning to countries against supporting Taiwanese independence
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China’s defence chief General Li Shangfu has told his Singaporean counterpart the PLA will “absolutely not” renounce the use of force on Taiwan, in what experts said was a warning not only to Washington but also to regional powers.
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In a meeting on Thursday with Singapore’s defence chief Ng Eng Hen, Li said Beijing would not tolerate the self-ruled island’s Democratic Progressive Party seeking support from other countries for Taiwanese independence, according to Chinese defence ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Tan Kefei.
Andrew Yang Nien-dzu, a former Taiwanese defence minister and guest to the Shangri-La Dialogue, said the stern warning – issued a day before the security summit opened in Singapore – was aimed at European countries, Japan and Australia as well as the US.
“It’s also rare for the PLA to name Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, when warning the Western countries, which is also a strong message to all Taiwanese political parties not to follow the DPP’s steps,” Yang said.
“But such a stern warning would not bother the Taiwanese public anymore, because everyone has been used to such warnings, including the Taipei authorities.”
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Taiwan – which is preparing for presidential elections in January – has become a flashpoint for tensions between Washington and Beijing, which has vowed to bring the island under mainland control.
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