Chinese and US defense chiefs on Friday held their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore, with Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe reiterating China's firm position on the Taiwan question, stressing the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any "Taiwan independence" attempts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Wei and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Friday met in Singapore, which is of significance to implementing the important consensus between the two countries' top leaders and pushing forward the development of the two countries' military ties, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference after the meeting.

They exchanged views on topics including China-US relations, military ties, the Taiwan question, the situation in the South China Sea, and the Ukraine issue, Wu said.

It was a frank, positive and constructive strategic communication, Wu said.

Both sides agreed that the two militaries should carefully implement the key consensus reached by the two countries' top leaders, keep frequent communication and manage risks and crises, Wu noted.

Chinese and US defense chiefs holds their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore on June 10, 2022. Photo: Ministry of Defense

Wei reiterated China's firm stance on the Taiwan question. 

There is only one China, and Taiwan is a sacred, inalienable part of China's territory, Wei said, noting that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations, and attempting to contain China with the Taiwan question will fail.

Wei said that the US recently announced another arms sale to the island of Taiwan, which seriously violated the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiqués, severely harmed China's sovereignty and security interests, and badly damaged China-US relations as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this.

If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any "Taiwan independence" attempts at all cost, and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Wei said, according to Wu's statement.

On the South China Sea, Wei said that countries in the region are willing to have the wisdom to deal with questions concerning the South China Sea. The interference by external forces is the biggest uncertain factor in the region.

The US should take concrete measures and do more for the stability of the South China Sea, instead of stirring up trouble, inciting disputes and hyping confrontation, Wu quoted Wei as saying.

On the Ukraine issue, Wei pointed out that China always upholds the principle of objectivity and fairness, and is making efforts to promote peace and talks. As a responsible major power, China will continue to play a constructive role, but if anyone wants to make use of the Ukraine issue to harm China's interests, China will respond resolutely with countermeasures, Wei said.

Wu said the meeting was not long but yielded positive effect. For the next step, the two sides will discuss issues on communication and cooperation between the two militaries through military and diplomatic channels.