China says military drills near Taiwan a 'just' move
Chinese military exercises near Taiwan are targeted at
forces promoting the island’s formal independence and are a “just” move to
protect peace and stability, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday.
It also said the exercises are aimed at interference by
external forces.
Military tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own
territory, are at their worst in more than 40 years, Taiwan’s defence minister
said last week, adding China will be capable of mounting a “full scale”
invasion by 2025.
He was speaking after China mounted four straight days of
mass air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone that
began Oct. 1, part of a pattern of what Taipei views as stepped up military
harassment by Beijing.
Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Ma
Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the cause of
current tensions was Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP)
“collusion” with foreign force and “provocations” over seeking Taiwan’s
independence.
Chinese drills are aimed at this collusion — a veiled
reference to U.S. support for Taiwan and separatist activities, protecting
the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and
stability in the Taiwan Strait, he added.
“They are absolutely just actions,” Ma said.
“The DPP authorities’ hyping of the so-called ‘military
threat’ of the mainland is to completely invert right and wrong, and a bogus
accusation,” he added.
“If the DPP authorities obstinately persist in going about
things the wrong way, and do not know how to draw back from the edge, it will
only push Taiwan into a more dangerous situation.”
Taiwan says it is an independent country called the Republic
of China, its formal name, and will defend its freedom and democracy.
Despite Ma’s comments, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen made relatively conciliatory speeches at the
weekend, even as Xi vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and Tsai said they
would not be forced to bow to China.
Xi did not mention resorting to force over Taiwan, while
Tsai reiterated a desire for peace and dialogue with China.
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