Chinese President Dong Jun warns separatist forces in Taiwan of facing “self-destruction”

SINGAPORE – Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun has vowed that anyone who aims to separate Taiwan from China will face “self-destruction.”

Speaking during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the admiral called on the “Forces for Taiwan Independence” to “abandon illusion and return to the right track of reunification.”

“Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only destroy themselves,” he said.

In response to questions, Dong reiterated China's position that Taiwan is part of China, and said Beijing is committed to peaceful reunification.

Taiwan is a democratically self-governing island, and a new president was recently installed on May 20.

Throughout his speech and Q&A, Dong repeatedly blamed separatist forces for the erosion of the “one China” principle, which states Beijing's view that it has sovereignty over Taiwan. The admiral said that newly elected Taiwanese President Lai Ching-ti made a “blatant” statement about his ambition for Taiwanese independence in his inauguration speech.

He also accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of trying to change the island's constitution to “erase Chinese identity,” prevent people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and mainland China as well as increase its military capacity to push for independence.

For decades, Taiwan has purchased US military equipment, including recent purchases of advanced M1A2 Abrams tanks, modern F-16 fighters, and long-range artillery systems.

China's defense minister also targeted unnamed “external forces”, claiming they support Taiwanese separatists.

“We know that some major powers continue to hollow out the 'one China' principle, distort facts and even misinterpret UN General Assembly resolutions,” Dong said.

Without specifying any specific country, Dong also claimed that the major powers “violated their commitment to China when we established diplomatic relations.”

“They continue to test China's red lines, such as official engagement and arms sales to Taiwan,” he added.

“These kinds of behavior send very wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces and cause them to become very aggressive. I think it is clear what the goal of the foreign power is: They are trying to contain China using Taiwan.”

The United States does not have a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan and is not obligated to defend the island. But the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 — put in place after the United States switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing — stipulates that the United States “shall provide to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services” as may be necessary “to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient capabilities to defend itself.” self”.

Although Dong had already devoted part of his speech to addressing China's concerns about Taiwan, he went on to elaborate on these issues in his first response during the question-and-answer session. When the chair of the plenum, Bastian Gegerich of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, reminded him to answer delegates' queries on other issues, Dong asked to end his answer on Taiwan, calling it “the core of our core concern.”

He added: “In the face of the powerful People's Liberation Army, their efforts will be futile, and their efforts will only lead to a quick demise. (This) will only undermine the interests of the people in Taiwan. This is the last thing we want to see in China.”

Dong also took up other questions, including one that referred to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s comment that the killing of a Filipino national in the South China Sea would be “very close” to an act of war.

While the Defense Secretary claimed that the Philippines illegally parked its landing ship on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, he said that Beijing and Manila are discussing the issue and working on it peacefully.

Dong noted that the two countries have reached several agreements that have been recognized by current and previous Philippine administrations, such as allowing the resupply of the ship's garrison. Manila deploys resupply missions to shoals for a small garrison of troops living aboard an old warship that was deliberately ran aground in 1999 to protect Manila's maritime claims.

“But recently, they started not recognizing (these agreements) at all. This is a unilateral reneging on their promise… I think this is the rules of blackmail and kidnapping. We always talk about a strong international system, (but) I am,” he said. “I think that's not morally right.”

In contrast, the Chinese Defense Minister described the measures taken by the Chinese Coast Guard as “very disciplined in accordance with our law.”

“Our policy has been consistent over the past several decades. We are committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. But I also want to say that our tolerance for deliberate provocations will be limited,” he added.

While delegates raised questions about other issues such as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Dong focused most of his answers on Taiwan and the South China Sea.