China doesn't rule out using force against Taiwan
Photo: China has not ruled out the use of force against Taiwan (Getty Images)
China does not rule out the use of force against Taiwan, while Beijing is ready for peaceful reunification based on the one country, two systems model, says Peng Qing'en, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office.
"We are willing to create ample space for peaceful reunification and will spare no effort to pursue this prospect with the utmost sincerity. However, we absolutely will not renounce the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures," says a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office.
At the same time, Wang Huning, China's top official responsible for Taiwan policy and the fourth-ranking leader of the ruling Communist Party, did not mention force in his key political speech on Saturday, which instead focused on how both sides would benefit from reunification.
China's new attempt to create a model of autonomy for Taiwan, which no major Taiwanese political party supports and which the government in Taipei has repeatedly condemned, came ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Taiwan's reaction
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he didn't know if he would discuss Taiwan with Xi at all. Speaking earlier Wednesday in Taipei, Taiwan's National Security Bureau Director Tsai Ming-yen said the new Chinese model is what Beijing used in Hong Kong and Macau, and that it has no prospects in Taiwan.
"The aim is to belittle Taiwan's international standing, and Hong Kong-ify and Macau-ify Taiwan, to achieve the political objective of eliminating Taiwan's sovereignty, which the Chinese Communist Party seeks to do," he said.
Background
Earlier, American media reported that Trump had refused to approve more than $400 million in military aid to Taiwan, which was planned to be provided this summer. The decision is related to an agreement with China—Trump planned to negotiate a trade agreement and a possible summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Russia is helping China prepare for an attack on Taiwan. This involves the sale of military equipment and large-scale training for Chinese airborne troops.
For many years, China has considered Taiwan part of its territory and calls its government separatist. In 1949, the remnants of the anti-communist Kuomintang, who lost the civil war to Mao Zedong, took refuge in Taiwan.
Chinese bombers also began training near the coast of Taiwan a few days before the expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
