Police officers stand guard near the entrance of the Shangri-La Hotel, the venue for the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore on June 2, 2023. Photo: VCG

If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu said at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday, whilst reiterating that China must be and will be reunified. He also urged the US to act with sincerity, match its words with deeds and take concrete actions to work with China in the same direction to stabilize the relationship between two armies.

In his speech titled "China's New Security Initiatives," Li said that the Taiwan question is the core of China's core interests and is an internal affair of China; any act to obscure or hollow out the one China principle is both absurd and dangerous.

He stressed that the more rampant the separatist activities for Taiwan independence are, the more resolute China's countermeasures will be. All foreign interference is doomed to end in failure. The defense minister said China must be and will be reunified, "as it is the aspiration of our people and the trend of our times."

Li said we will strive for the prospects of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts but we make no promise to renounce the use of force. "If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second. We will fear no opponents and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity regardless of any cost," Li noted.

Before and during the dialogue, the US has been hyping up the "China threat" and attacking China for rejecting US' request for a meeting between two defense ministers. The US is clear about the reason why China-US military dialogue faces difficulties, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said last week in response to US media hype over China "rebuffing" a possible meeting between Chinese and US defense chiefs.

Li said at the security dialogue on Sunday that the China-US relationship is more than a bilateral relationship and has global significance. The international community looks for a sound and stable China-US relationship and is concerned about any potential conflict or confrontation.

China seeks to develop a new type of major-country relationship with the US. As for the US side, it needs to act with sincerity, match its words with deeds and take concrete actions to work with China in the same direction to stabilize the relations between two armies from deterioration. China and the US should properly handle differences, brave difficulties and find a right way to get along, Li said.

On the South China Sea issue, Li said that thanked to the concerted efforts of regional countries the situation in the South China Sea has generally remained stable, and regional exchanges and cooperation have grown stronger.

However, he mentioned that some countries outside the region exercise their "hegemony of navigation" in the name of "freedom of navigation," and they want to muddy the waters to rake in profits. Li warned regional countries should stay highly vigilant and firmly reject these acts.

China and ASEAN countries are connected by geography, culture and family bonds. People in this region treat each other like brothers and sisters. It is natural for neighbors to disagree with each other from time to time, Li said, noting that countries in the region are engaging in communication and consultation for the proper settlement of differences.

Some countries outside the region keep sowing discord among us and fanning the flames of conflict, said Li. We need to stay clear-headed and level-headed over the benefits and risks. The prospects for regional peace and cooperation are promising, Li added.

Global Times