Ministry: PLA will not tolerate separatist acts

Taiwan question an internal affair, brooks no interference from US, spokesman says

The People's Liberation Army will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" acts or any interference from outside forces and will firmly smash such actions, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.

Wu made the remark at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday while responding to a request for comment on Taiwan authorities' recent claims that the PLA crossed the "median line" in the Taiwan Straits several times and "sabotaged regional peace and stability".

The spokesman said that there has never been such a thing as a "median line" in the Taiwan Straits.

"The very root of the current tensions and turbulence in the Straits lies in the collaboration between the 'Taiwan independence' forces and some foreign parties," Wu said. "The ruling Democratic Progressive Party continues to seek 'Taiwan independence' and make provocations. The external forces keep attempting to play the 'Taiwan card' to contain China. They are the very saboteurs of the peace and stability across the Straits."

The spokesman said the PLA will use strong countermeasures, stressing that "actions are the most powerful responses".

"The related parties had better get used to (the PLA's actions) and reflect on their own. More important, they had better learn how to 'stop their running horses in front of the cliff edge'," he said.

When commenting on the United States' recent moves concerning Taiwan, Wu said the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China and brooks no interference from the US.

The Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, passed recently by the US House of Representatives, would, if enacted, authorize the US military to carry out joint exercises with Taiwan's armed forces and invite Taiwan to partake in its biennial RIMPAC naval exercise. In addition, the US government approved a new round of arms sale to Taiwan.

The US has been playing a two-faced game with China on the Taiwan question for a while, according to the spokesman.

"They are dangerous acts of playing with fire and will gravely impact the diplomatic and military relations between China and the US, seriously compromise peace and stability across the Straits, and greatly increase the risk of armed confrontations between the two countries," Wu said.

The senior colonel said it is a fundamentally important mission for the PLA to prevent the motherland from being split and to finally unify the nation. The Chinese military is always determined and ready to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he added.