New Chinese defence minister says Taiwan separatists will be ‘crushed to pieces’ and hits out at Philippines at international forum
- Dong Jun insisted Beijing was committed to peaceful reunification but issued several veiled swipes at the US for ‘pushing Taiwan into danger’
- The speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue also included an apparent attack on Manila after a series of clashes between the two countries in the South China Sea
“Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and invite their own destruction,” Dong said.
In a combative question and answer session after the speech, Dong refused to be drawn on questions about Ukraine, or accusations that China is “working closely with Russia” and carrying out cyberattacks, opting instead to reassert Beijing’s position on its “core interests” such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Dong’s appearance at the high-profile security forum comes six months into his new job and two weeks after the inauguration of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, a man Beijing has branded a “troublemaker” and “destroyer of cross-strait peace”.
Dong said Beijing was committed to “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, but the prospect was being “undermined by Taiwan separatists and external forces”.
