‘Restoration inevitable’: China renews Taiwan annexation threat at Beijing security forum

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on Thursday reiterated Beijing’s stance on Taiwan’s independence, emphasising that it will take over the island-nation sooner or later.

Speaking at the opening of a security forum in Beijing, Jun said, “The restoration of Taiwan to China is an integral part of the post-war international order,” as he addressed a room full of audience composed of international military officers.

Beijing considers Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million people that has been governed separately from China since 1949, to be a breakaway province, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. China puts military pressure on Taiwan by sending warships and aircraft near the island almost daily.

Dong said China would “never allow any separatist attempts for Taiwan independence to succeed” and that it is ready to thwart “any external military interference.”

“The Chinese military stands ready to work with all parties to serve as a force for global peace, stability and progress,” he said.

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The minister also took a veiled dig at US, saying, “behaviours such as external military interference, seeking spheres of influence and coercing others into taking sides.” He called those a means to “plunge the international community into chaos and conflict.”

Dong stressed the importance of upholding the “UN-centered international system” as a framework for global peace and stability.

“We must defend the post-war order,” he said. “We do not intend to overturn the existing order or to create a new one. Rather the goal is to reinforce the cornerstone and pillars of the system.”

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Meanwhile, Taiwan will manufacture a missile and an underwater drone in collaboration with a US-based company for the very first time.

Earlier this year, Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) joined hands with US defence firm Anduril to make the company’s Barracuda-500, a low-cost, autonomous cruise missile.

On Thursday, the two stakeholders signed another agreement to co-produce Anduril’s underwater drones.

With inputs from agencies