A Defence ministry spokesperson said that “China’s military will be ready to go to war to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity” in the event that others “dare to try to split Taiwan from the country,” while speaking at the release of a defence white paper in Beijing on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Wu Qian continued that “Taiwanese independence is a dead end. China cannot lose any territory. We are willing to do our utmost to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification. But we will never allow anyone, any organisation or any political party to split any piece of territory from China at any time and in any form.”
Wu also shed light on planned annual Sino-Russia military exercises saying that the aim was to “further enhance the strategic cooperation level and joint operational capabilities” of the two nations and “is not targeted at any third party.”
Speaking about the white paper, ‘China’s National Defence in the New Era,’ Wu said that defence spending “will maintain a moderate and steady growth.”
It is the 10th white paper on national defence the Chinese government has issued since 1998 and the first comprehensive one since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.