China refuses to rule out force over Taiwan’s reunification

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said the army had a “sacred duty” to defend Chinese territory and that Beijing still sees Taiwan as part of its territory and that his country would not renounce the use of force over the reunification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.

The general made the comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a three-day security summit in Singapore that brings together top defense representatives from around the world.

The remarks came a day after acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan spoke at the same summit, warning China against threatening its neighbors’ sovereignty.

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the end of the mainland’s civil war in 1949, but China still claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

 

Via Reuters