China warns of military action against Taiwan to block relations with US on eve of American visit
- Former US senator Chris Dodd and former deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg head to Taiwan at Biden’s request
- Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council says China is ‘determined to stop Taiwan independence … we are doing it with action’
“The signal given by the military drills is that we are determined to stop Taiwan independence, and stop Taiwan from working with the US. We are doing it with action,” Ma told reporters on Tuesday.
“We do not promise to abandon the use of force, and retain the option of taking all necessary measures. We are aimed at the interference of external forces and the very small number of separatists and their separatist activities. We are definitely not aimed at compatriots in Taiwan”.
Ma’s warning came as former US senator Chris Dodd and former deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg headed to Taiwan on Tuesday at Biden’s request.
US-China relations: military tensions continue to rise over Taiwan
The White House said the exchange was a “personal signal” of Biden’s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy.
They are expected to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday.
Ma said the US should respect the one-China principle and properly handle the Taiwan issue.
“The external forces using Taiwan to control China and those independence camps using force to seek independence, are doomed to fail in the face of the 1.4 billion Chinese people’s strong determination,” he said.
It was the biggest ever incursion by People’s Liberation Army warplanes into Taiwan’s ADIZ.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Beijing against invading Taiwan.
But Ma said the drill was necessary to safeguard national sovereignty.
“The current complex and severe situation across the Taiwan Strait is mainly because the Democratic Progressive Party is colluding with separatist and external forces to seek independence provocations,” he said.