China sends clear warning to US Rammstein responds to mass accusations

China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu has warned the US not to interfere in the dispute over Taiwan. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialog security conference in Singapore on Sunday, the general again threatened military action against the democratic island republic. “If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, China’s military will not hesitate for a second,” the new defense minister said. “We will fear no adversary and resolutely protect our national sovereignty and territorial integrity at any cost.”

The general criticized US arms sales and military training to Taiwan, as well as improving relations between Washington and Taipei. Taiwan is an internal affair of China in which no one should interfere, Li Shangfu said. “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan.” It is “absurd and dangerous” to undermine Beijing’s one China principle. After that, Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic. “Reunification” is unstoppable, the minister said at his first appearance at the security conference.

On Saturday, there was an incident between a US warship and a Chinese ship in the Taiwan Strait. According to reporters from Canada’s Global News who were on the frigate HMCS Montreal, a Chinese ship came within 137 yards of the US destroyer USS Chung-Hoon. Canada and the US were on a joint patrol.

As a result, the Chinese ship was sailing at high speed and turned right in front of the American destroyer. Canadian captain Paul Mountford described this as “unprofessional”. The Chinese crew also asked the US Marines to change course, otherwise there was a chance of a collision. The Americans then reduced speed and changed the direction of travel, the report said.

China contradicted the statements in a statement. “The naval and air forces of China’s PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted tracking and surveillance of the US destroyer and Canadian frigate throughout the course and handled the situation lawfully and professionally,” the Chinese military spokesman said.

Li Shangfu described relations with the US at a “record low” since relations began in 1979. Regarding the lack of communication, which the US is increasingly complaining about, the general said when asked that China is fundamentally open to talks between the two governments and the military, but follow the principle: “If we do not have mutual respect, our communication will not be productive.” In Singapore, Li Shangfu had rejected the US request to meet with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin.

Austin warned China against military action against Taiwan on Saturday. “Conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating,” he said. Such an escalation would affect the global economy “in a way we can’t imagine”. At the meeting, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called for more efforts to de-escalate the conflict over Taiwan.

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