"Dead end for those who engage in 'Taiwan independence'...will only backfire": China warns US

Beijing [China], May 24 : China on Friday warned the US that efforts toward "Taiwan's independence" are a "dead end" and "will only backfire" after an unnamed US official urged Beijing to exercise restraint over the cross-strait situation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular media briefing on Friday said, "There will be a dead end for those who engage in 'Taiwan independence', and to connive support for 'Taiwan independence' will only backfire."

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened force to control it. Wenbin reiterated that Taiwan's independence efforts are doomed to fail.

Further, in response to a question about the military drills around Taiwan and US official remarks, Wang Wenbin stated that "Taiwan is China's Taiwan" and emphasised that "it's not for the US to make such remarks."

Ha also added that the main problem for these tensions across the Taiwan Strait is, that Taiwan's ruling party (Democratic Progressive Party) is trying to rely on the US for its independence.

"The root cause for the tensions across the Taiwan Strait is the DPP authorities' attempt to rely on the US to seek independence. They have been trying to contain China with Taiwan under pretext. If the US truly wants to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it should clearly and unequivocally abide by the One China principle and oppose Taiwan independence," said Wenbin.

Concurrently, Beijing imposed sanctions on three US defence companies over arms sales to Taipei and censored discussions of the inauguration on Chinese social media.

"China will never allow any force or any excuse to provide support for Taiwan. A just cause will be supported by all. In recent years and recent few weeks, many political figures in many countries have voiced their support for China's just position and voiced their support for China's sovereignty and China's just cause for upholding national sovereignty," he added.

Wenbin also made it clear that supporting Taiwan's independence would cause trouble and that China remains resolute in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. They firmly oppose Taiwan's independence.

Days after Taiwan's Lai Ching Te was sworn in as the island's President, China launched two-day-long military drills on Thursday surrounding the nation in what it called "punishment" for so-called "separatist acts," reported CNN.

As part of the drills, dozens of Chinese fighter jets carrying live ammunition carried out mock strikes against "high-value military targets" of the "enemy" alongside destroyers, frigates and missile speedboats.

The exercises, which began early Thursday and will encircle Taiwan, are the first real test for newly elected President Lai Ching-te as he attempts to manage relations with the island's powerful authoritarian neighbour.

Despite never having controlled Taiwan, China's ruling Communist Party claims it as part of its territory and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.

China said it began joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force, and rocket force in areas around Taiwan at 7.45 a.m. on Thursday. The drills are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, a narrow body of water that separates the island from mainland China, as well as north, south, and east of Taiwan, reported CNN.

They are also taking place near Taiwan's outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, which are just off China's southeastern coast, according to a statement from the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command.

Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin are all Taiwan-controlled territories in the Taiwan Strait close to China's southeast coast, Focus Taiwan reported.

The median line of the Taiwan Strait served for decades as a tacit border between China and Taiwan, but China's military has more freely sent aircraft, warships and drones across it.

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