China has released a stern statement concerning President Biden’s warnings over Taiwan a few weeks ago. Wei Fenghe, China’s Defense Minister, warned that China would, “resolutely crush any attempt” made by the United States to interfere with China’s affairs in Taiwan.
Fenghe’s comments follow President Biden’s warnings during his travels in Asia, that China was “flirting with danger” by flying its warplanes close to Taiwan. In Biden’s statements, he promised to use military force if the island of Taiwan was invaded by China. These statements were soon retracted by White House officials, as the United States is in agreement with the One China Policy.
“Let me make this clear: if anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will not hesitate to fight. We will fight at all costs and we will fight to the very end. This is the only choice for China” warned Fenghe at the Shangri-la Dialogue, an Asian security summit in Singapore.
Taiwan considers itself a sovereign nation, however, China considers it to be a part of China. The relationship between the three is complicated, as the United States also has a law requiring it to aid Taiwan and continues to send naval ships through Taiwan’s waters.
China has said before that it could reclaim Taiwan by force if necessary, however, analysts say that this is not likely for now. Neither party is particularly interested in starting an armed conflict, which is why Taiwan’s president has been extremely hesitant to declare independence despite Taiwan’s insistence that it is a sovereign state.
Despite Biden’s warnings for China, the United States would be reluctant to join in a costly military conflict, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the US does not support Taiwan’s independence. The United States and China’s unwillingness to budge from their positions means that the conflict is unlikely to escalate, however, it is also unlikely to get any better.
