Speaking at a security conference in Russia on Tuesday, China’s defence minister Li Shangfu indirectly poked fun at the US by cautioning against “playing with fire” when it comes to Taiwan.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, Li stated that attempts to “use Taiwan to contain China” would “certainly end in failure” while speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security.
The venue of Li’s address was significant and symbolic in light of Moscow’s ongoing assault of Ukraine, even though his remarks were a repetition of earlier ones made by Chinese leaders.
Taiwan is a self-governing democracy, but China’s ruling Communist Party claims it and has promised to seize control of it, using force if necessary. It has repeatedly criticised US dealings with the island, with which Washington has no formal diplomatic relations, including the delivery of US weapons to Taipei.
Li joined the Moscow security conference as he started a six-day journey to Russia and its close partner Belarus. Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons.
Senior defence officials from more than 20 “friendly states,” including Belarus, Iran, and Myanmar, will also be present at the conference, according to a recent report by Russian state media, which cited the defence ministry in Moscow, which oversees the gathering’s yearly organisation. According to state media, no Western countries were invited.
Taiwan is a self-governing democracy, but China’s ruling Communist Party claims it and has promised to seize control of it, using force if necessary. It has repeatedly criticised US dealings with the island, with which Washington has no formal diplomatic relations, including the delivery of US weapons to Taipei.
Li joined the Moscow security conference as he started a six-day journey to Russia and its close partner Belarus. Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons.
Senior defence officials from more than 20 “friendly states,” including Belarus, Iran, and Myanmar, will also be present at the conference, according to a recent report by Russian state media, which cited the defence ministry in Moscow, which oversees the gathering’s yearly organisation. According to state media, no Western countries were invited.
In addition, Li said to the audience on Tuesday that Xi Jinping wanted to maintain security in a “world of chaos” and that China’s military was “a firm force in maintaining world peace.”
“We are willing to work with other militaries to strengthen mutual trust in military security strategies and practical cooperation in various specialised fields,” Li further stated, according to Xinhua.
Li also stated, as Chinese authorities have in the past, that military ties between China and Russia do not target any third party, according to the Russian state-run media outlet Sputnik. The assertion was left out of the Xinhua report.
According to Xinhua, Li met with Sergei Shoigu, his Russian counterpart, to discuss military cooperation between the two nations. Regular cooperative exercises between China and Russia include a recent coordinated naval patrol off the coast of Alaska.
On the margins of the conference, the Chinese defence minister also met privately with the defence ministers and military chiefs of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.
Li’s remarks on Taiwan follow a backlash from Beijing as William Lai, the vice president of Taiwan and the current front-runner in the island’s forthcoming presidential election, plans to make stops in the US on his way to an official visit to Paraguay.
On Sunday, China’s foreign ministry denounced the visit and referred to Lai as a “trouble maker through and through.”
After establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, the US still maintains an unofficial relationship with Taipei, but is required by law to give the democratic island the means to defend itself.
Speaking in New York, Lai vowed Taiwan will “never back down” in the face of Chinese threats.
“No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared nor cower, and we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom,” he stated.
Following meetings between Taiwanese authorities and US congressmen, for example, China has increased its military intimidation of the island in recent years.
Taiwan has received more attention as a potential security flashpoint in Asia as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The optics of a supposedly more powerful aggressor launching an attack motivated by a vision of unification have increased focus on China’s intentions towards Taiwan despite significant distinctions with the geopolitical situations of Russia and Ukraine.
According to some observers, China was observing the West’s response to Russian aggression in Ukraine in order to anticipate potential reactions to any future moves against Taiwan.