“If anyone tries to secede Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second to start a war, whatever the cost,” spokesman Wu Qian warned. The defense minister himself was also clear on the matter: “Beijing will crush any plot to make Taiwan independent.” In addition, he emphasized that “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan”, writes ‘Al Arabiya News’.
The US defense secretary, on the other hand, called on his Chinese counterpart to “abstain from further destabilizing actions against Taiwan”.
At the beginning of June, Taiwan and the United States were still holding bilateral trade talks. In doing so, they refuted Beijing’s claim that the island is one of China’s provinces and that it has no official relations with foreign countries.