China’s defence minister has warned his country won’t give up an inch of its territory, including Taiwan and disputed waters in the South China Sea.
China will never give up an inch of its territory, whether the self-ruled island of Taiwan it claims as its own, or in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, the country’s defence minister says.
Beijing has been infuriated by recent US sanctions on its military, one of a growing number of flashpoints in ties with Washington that include a bitter trade war, Taiwan and China’s increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.
Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe made the remarks on Thursday at the opening of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in the wealthy city-state of Singapore.
China’s military ties with the United States are important and sensitive, Wei said, adding that Taiwan was a “core” interest of China and Beijing opposed displays of strength by “outside forces” in the South China Sea.
The world’s two largest economies needed to deepen high-level ties so as to navigate tension and rein in the risk of inadvertent conflict, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told his Chinese counterpart last week.