China will ‘not hesitate to start war’ over Taiwan, Beijing tells US

• Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war.”
• China considers Taiwan to be its territory and has vowed to seize it one day.
• The US urges China to refrain from destabilizing actions.

Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war.” if Taiwan declares independence, China’s defense minister warned his US counterpart on Friday, said, officials.

“If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,” Wu Qian quoted defense minister Wei Fenghe as saying during a meeting with Lloyd Austin.

According to the Chinese defense ministry, the Chinese minister also promised to “smash to smithereens any ‘Taiwan independence’ plot and resolutely uphold the motherland’s unification.”

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He “stressed that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail”, the ministry said.

During the Singapore talks, Austin told his Chinese counterpart that Beijing must “refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan,” according to the US Department of Defense.

Taiwan, a self-governing, democratic island, is constantly threatened by Chinese invasion. Beijing considers the island to be its territory and has vowed to seize it one day, using force if necessary.

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