Chinese defence minister says Beijing will 'absolutely not' renounce use of force against Taiwan
China's defence minister said on Thursday that Beijing would "absolutely not" renounce the use of force to unite Taiwan with mainland China, nor would it tolerate the self-ruled island's Democratic Progressive Party seeking support from other countries for the island's independence.
Defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei recounted for reporters what Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu told his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen in a meeting earlier in the day.
The statement from the ministry was rare because it mentioned the independence-leaning DPP by name while reiterating Beijing's position against ruling out the use of force. Taiwan is preparing for presidential elections in January.
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The ministry last mentioned both in a statement in December when responding to the Pentagon's release of its annual report on China's military power.
References to the DPP and the use of force usually come from Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office.
"We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and greatest efforts," Tan said on Thursday.
"But we will never tolerate any attempt by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities to seek foreign support for Taiwanese independence, nor will we tolerate any attempt by external forces to use Taiwan to contain China. We will absolutely not promise to renounce the use of force."
The statement mirrored Chinese President Xi Jinping's address to the 20th Communist Party congress in October, when Xi began his third term as party leader.
Xi said then that mainland China would continue to seek peaceful reunification with the "greatest sincerity and the utmost effort" but would "absolutely never promises to renounce the use of force" and "reserve the option of taking all necessary measures".
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, nearing the end of her second term, is prohibited from running again. So for the elections, the DPP has nominated Vice-President William Lai Ching-te, who supports the view that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent state and does not belong to the People's Republic of China.
Most countries do not recognise Taiwan as independent and accept Beijing as the sole government of China. Beijing regards the self-ruled island as a breakaway Chinese province to be eventually brought under its control.
"Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and the Taiwan issue is the core of the core interests of China," Tan said.
Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing, said: "Li's remark not only aimed to warn Washington and Taipei not to push 'Taiwanese independent movements' but also remind Southeast Asian countries not to be used by the United States when handling the Taiwan issue."
"The US always hopes Asean countries to do something for Taiwan, or stand with it to contain Beijing. So Beijing should repeat its stance firmly."
Li is leading China's delegation of dozens of senior military officers and defence experts to the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's biggest defence conference, which is to begin on Friday.
Li, in his first time attending the forum, is scheduled to speak about China's new security initiatives on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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