A delegation of more than 70 members of the Youth Division of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has reportedly arrived in the island of Taiwan on Sunday for a visit scheduled to run through Wednesday, including a meeting with Lai Ching-te. Chinese observers on Monday slammed the move as a reckless provocation that seriously violates the principles of diplomatic relations between China and Japan and shall not be tolerated.
Led by LDP Youth Division director Nakasone Yasutaka, the delegation includes four sitting members of Japan's Diet and is scheduled to meet Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te and other senior regional officials, according to Taiwan's local media.
Taiwan's so-called foreign affairs department welcomed the delegation, saying the visit demonstrates Japan's strong commitment to maintaining "close ties" with the island of Taiwan.
Lü Chao, president and associate professor at the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University, described the LDP Youth Division as a representative right-wing organization that consistently maintains an anti-China stance and frequently engages in political interactions with Taiwan's regional authorities.
The LDP Youth Division has sent delegations to Taiwan annually over the past few years, according to the island local media, and that includes meeting with Lai in May and August last year, and with former president Tsai Ing-wen in April last year, August 2023 and May 2022.
The LDP Youth Division's large-scale, high-profile political interaction with the authorities on the Taiwan island is a deliberate provocation against China, aimed at emboldening the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces. The latest delegation's visit is once again a reckless provocation to the bottom line of the Chinese people, Lü told the Global Times on Monday.
"We will never tolerate such actions that severely violate the principles of China-Japan diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and we will resolutely condemn them and take countermeasures," said the expert.
Commenting on reports that the head of Taiwan's so-called foreign affairs department recently made a "private" trip to Japan and met with Japanese politicians, including former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and the director of the LDP Youth Division Nakasone, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on July 28 that by allowing Lin Chia-lung to make the so-called "private" trip, Japan provided a platform for "Taiwan independence" forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities, seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations and the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan, and sent out a gravely wrong signal. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it. We've lodged serious representations to the Japanese side in Beijing and Tokyo and made strong protests.
We urge Japan to abide by the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan, act on its solemn commitment, deeply reflect on and learn lessons from history, act all the more prudently on the Taiwan question, not to harm China's sovereignty in any way and not to send any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Japan should never underestimate the firm resolve, will, and ability of the Chinese people to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, Guo said then.
The Chinese Consulate General in Khabarovsk told the Global Times on Thursday that regarding the case of a Russian plane reportedly gone missing with about 50 people on board, the consulate is still verifying the facts and cannot confirm yet whether any Chinese nationals are on board.
The consulate added that it will provide updates in a timely manner if any new information should emerge.
The Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday afternoon, citing media outlets, that a Russian plane with about 50 people on board is missing.
Debris of the missing Russian passenger plane has been discovered in the Eastern Amur Region, Xinhua reported, citing media.
According to the latest report cited by Xinhua from media, there is no survivor found in crashed Russian passenger plane.
In response to a media inquiry regarding French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France will officially recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that the Palestinian question has been the core issue in the Middle East, and the "two-state solution" remains the only viable path to its resolution.
Guo stated that China supports the upcoming high-level UN meeting aimed at implementing the two-state solution. China will continue to work with the international community to promote a cease-fire in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, implement the two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting resolution to the Palestinian question.
In a X post on late Thursday (local time), Macron announced that France will officially recognize the State of Palestine in September, stressing the "historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," which would make France the first G7 nation to do so.
Macron said that he will formalize the decision at the UN General Assembly in September. "The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″
He also called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and large-scale humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. "We must also ensure the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, guarantee its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the region."
The Buddhist Association of China said on Monday that it firmly supported and endorsed the decision to handle Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple and approved the revocation of Shi's ordination certificate.
On Sunday, the Shaolin Temple released an official statement, saying that Shi, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, is suspected of criminal offenses, including embezzlement and misappropriation of project funds and temple assets. He has also maintained improper relationships with multiple women over a long period and fathered illegitimate children, seriously violating Buddhist precepts. He is currently under joint investigation by multiple authorities.
The Buddhist Association of China said in the statement that Shi's actions are egregious in nature, severely tarnishing the reputation of the Buddhist community and damaging the image of monastic practitioners. The Buddhist Association of China firmly supports and endorses the decision to handle Shi in accordance with the law.
The association also noted that it recently had received a report from the Henan Buddhist Association on the revocation of Shi's ordination certificate.
In accordance with relevant regulations, the association has approved the revocation of Shi (secular name: Liu Yingcheng) ordination certificate, said the statement.
China has announced news of the upcoming 25th China-EU Summit. When asked to introduce China's expectations on this summit and how to assess current China-Europe relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that as two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations promoting diversity, the China-EU leaders' meeting at this time holds significant importance and has drawn broad attention from the international community.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN. At a time when the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and facing a volatile and complex international landscape, with unilateralism and acts of bullying severely undermining the international order and rules, humanity stands at a critical crossroads, the spokesperson said.
As two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations promoting diversity, China and Europe holding leaders' meeting at this time holds significant importance and has drawn broad attention from the international community, Guo noted.
Guo noted that over the past half-century, China-EU relations have weathered many storms and have grown into a mature and stable relationship—now one of the most influential bilateral relationships in the world. China-EU cooperation has yielded fruitful results, strongly supporting mutual development and delivering tangible benefits to nearly 2 billion people on both sides, Guo said.
It has made important contributions to global peace and development and set a model for mutually beneficial cooperation in the era of economic globalization. Bilateral trade has grown from $2.4 billion to $785.8 billion, and two-way investment stock has increased from almost zero to nearly $260 billion. People-to-people exchanges have also become increasingly close, Guo noted.
While China and the EU have achieved fruitful cooperation in areas such as climate change, the relationship also faces certain challenges, Guo said.
Some in the EU have continued to reinforce the so-called "triple positioning" of their China policy, exaggerate specific trade and economic issues in a one-sided manner, and make groundless accusations against China over the Ukraine issue, causing unnecessary disruptions to China-EU relations. China firmly believes that, having developed over the past 50 years, China-EU relations have accumulated enough experience and positive momentum to withstand changes and overcome difficulties, Guo noted.
The spokesperson emphasized that with the 25th China-EU Summit approaching, China-EU relations stand at a crucial juncture, and are poised to move forward by building on past achievements. China looks forward the EU meeting China half way, viewing China-EU relations in a comprehensive, dialectical, and developing manner, and drawing meaningful lessons from the past 50 years of engagement, responding to the trends of the times and the shared expectations of both peoples and the broader international community, building consensus, rising above differences, and jointly planning the next 50 years of cooperation, thereby opening a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU, the spokesperson said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in north China's Tianjin on Tuesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that under the guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, China-Kazakhstan relations are at their best in history.
China has always placed Kazakhstan in an important position in its neighborhood diplomacy and is willing to work with Kazakhstan to firmly support each other, consolidate political mutual trust and create more new highlights of cooperation, Wang said.
Noting that Kazakhstan is a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Wang said that China looks forward to making joint efforts with Kazakhstan and other member states to ensure the complete success of the Tianjin summit.
Nurtleu said that Kazakhstan fully supports all the cooperation initiatives proposed by China and is willing to make positive contributions to the holding of the Tianjin summit.
Kazakhstan is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, prepare for high-level exchanges, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, railways, and industrial park construction, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations, he said.
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang on Wednesday praised China's tech companies and vast market potential, expressing optimism about the country's advances in AI, robotics and smart manufacturing, as well as China's growing role in global innovation, during a press briefing held in Beijing as part of his attendance to the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE).
Chinese expert noted that as China has always maintained an open and inclusive attitude toward normal economic and trade exchanges, it is natural that Jensen Huang received a warm welcome during his visit to China.
In response to a question from the Global Times on whether there is still room for cooperation between China and the US in the tech sector, Huang said, "There's always room in any house for at least two people." He emphasized that technological progress is not a zero-sum game, pointing to continued global growth. "I have every optimism and every belief that the US will continue to be very vibrant. China will be incredibly dynamic and continue to grow. And so I've got a very optimistic view of the future," Huang said.
Earlier at the opening ceremony of the CISCE on Wednesday morning, Huang took off his signature leather jacket, appeared in traditional Chinese attire, and delivered part of his speech in Chinese. He said it was his first time delivering a speech in Chinese and praised China's open-source efforts in the AI sector. China's open-source AI, he noted, serves as a catalyst for global progress, giving every country and industry a chance to join the AI revolution, Huang said.
During the media briefing, Huang spoke with particular enthusiasm about China's electric vehicle (EV) sector, calling them "incredible," and said he would love to buy a Xiaomi car.
In response to a media question on whether there is any new product or company that surprises him in China, Huang said "I would say that the EVs in China are probably in the last five years, the most surprising to the world in terms of the advancement."
The reality is, Xiaomi's cars are outstanding, as are BYD's and Li Auto's. The cabins are so spacious they feel like living rooms on wheels, while NIO and Zeekr take luxury to an entirely new level, Huang said, adding "every one of them impresses me."
Beyond EVs, Huang expressed confidence in China's robotics future, citing the country's strengths in AI, mechatronics and its vast manufacturing base. "I wouldn't be surprised if Xiaomi or BYD builds an amazing robot in the near future," he said, adding that these capabilities position China to become a major player in next-generation robotics development.
"China is a very special place because you have three things," Huang told the reporters. "One, you have excellent AI technology already, as I mentioned before. Second, you are extremely good at mechanical and electrical things - it's called mechatronics. China is very good at that. And then the third thing is you have a very large manufacturing base to hire those robots. I'm very optimistic for robotics development here in China."
When asked about Chinese AI companies, especially Huawei, Huang praised China's tech giant Huawei as "a formidable company," noting that it is "already on the dance floor" despite being a relative newcomer to AI acceleration. "Anyone who discounts Huawei, and anyone who discounts China's manufacturing capability, is deeply naive," he said.
During this trip, Huang's announced Tuesday that the US government has approved Nvidia's export license and Nvidia will start selling H20 chips to the Chinese market.
Buoyed by news that the H20 chip will resume sales in China, NVIDIA's stock hit a record high, reaching $172.40 intraday and closing at $170.70 on Tuesday, up 4.04 percent. Jensen Huang's net worth rose to $148.6 billion, becoming the world's sixth richest person, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list.
Embrace, not exclude
On the first day of the supply chain expo, Nvidia's booth quickly became a crowd magnet, drawing streams of visitors who stopped to watch, snap photos and interact with its AI and robotics displays.
This is Huang's third visit to China this year. As with his previous two visits, his itinerary and remarks received widespread attention.
The semiconductor industry is highly globalized, with Nvidia as a leader, making its participation in the CISCE a natural fit with its industry presence, Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Wednesday, adding that its success in China would signal a positive step for both China and the US.
US president Donald Trump in April imposed export restrictions that stopped Nvidia from selling its H20 chip made for the China market, which cost the US chipmaker $2.5 billion in sales during the first quarter. Nvidia expects a sales hit of $8 billion in the second quarter, according to a Reuters report.
"I went to see President Trump to let him know that I was coming to China … He knew I was going to come here to address the conference (CISCE), and he told me to have a great trip," Huang said on Tuesday, as cited by China Media Group.
Zhou pointed out that Nvidia recently faced significant sales pressure in China, because if the H20 chip fails to enter the market on time, its market share will suffer greatly. "With rapid chip iterations, missed opportunities risk being overtaken by competitors. Moreover, as Chinese chips catch up quickly, regaining lost market share becomes very difficult," he said.
Before Huang's trip to China, a Reuters report said that he met with Trump at the White House. Observers suggested that the discussion aims to seek a "balance" amid the China-US trade tensions.
Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that from a business perspective, adhering to a position of "business is business and politics should be set aside" is the most rational choice for Nvidia.
"China has always maintained an open and inclusive attitude toward normal economic and trade exchanges. It is natural that Jensen Huang received a warm welcome during his visit to China," Gao said.
However, Zhou said there is a fundamental difference between China and the US in their approach to foreign enterprises.
"China has been actively listening to foreign investors and is committed to providing a level playing field for foreign enterprises, including Nvidia," Zhou said. In contrast, the US has increasingly tightened foreign investment reviews, using so-called national security as an excuse to restrict investments and raising tariffs to complicate multinational operations and supply chains," Zhou said.
Given the US' continued crackdown on China's technology advance, Gao suggested that technological innovation is a global effort with each country's own strengths, and nations should focus on the shared benefits for humanity.
"China prioritizes cooperation and mutual development over the pursuit of technological dominance, which has fostered a business environment that continues to attract foreign investment in China," Gao said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kicked off his official visit to China on July 12 and it is set to conclude on July 18, 2025. The visit is viewed as an opportunity to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, and advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. As the Chinese and Australian economies are highly complementary, Albanese said in Beijing that Australia looks forward to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as trade, agriculture, tourism, and culture, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges in education, civil society, and youth sectors, the Xinhua News Agency reported. What's the significance of Albanese's visit to China? What's the general sentiment of Australians toward China? How should Australia promote a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Australia? Global Times reporter Xie Wenting (GT) conducted an exclusive interview with Australian historian author John Queripel (Queripel) on these topics and more.
GT: Australian Prime Minister Albanese kicked off his official visit to China on July 12, which is set to conclude on July 18. This will be Albanese's second visit to China since he took office, just two months after his re-election in May this year. How do you view the significance of Albanese's visit to China? To what extent do you believe this high-level visit can rebuild core mutual trust?
Queripel: These meetings are likely to encourage trust between the two nations, which is essential not only politically, but also commercially between nations so strongly linked through their large trade volumes with each other.
Prime Minister Albanese, while being questioned at a media conference just prior to his departure, pointed out very strongly Australia's dependence economically upon China, informing his questioners that China was by far Australia's largest export market, taking over a third of Australian exports, more, he indicated, than the next four countries - Japan, South Korea, the US, and India - combined.
Albanese has drawn plenty of flak, especially from Australian right-wing media and commentariat, for visiting China before the US during his second term. In the past, Australian prime ministers usually have traipsed off to Washington as first call after election, usually in a manner indicating Australian obsequience to an imperial master. Following his recent May election win, Albanese, however, made a point of visiting nations in the region, Australia's near neighbor, Indonesia, then Singapore and Fiji, before his current visit to China.
GT: Both sides hope to attract investments. How do you think Australia is able to send clearer, more stable, and non-discriminatory positive signals to Chinese investors?
Queripel: Australia has unfortunately developed a reputation for being overzealous in permitting security concerns to intrude upon commercial agreements. That concern is usually directed at Chinese companies. Initially the security concerns regarding China began with Huawei's involvement in the Australian telecommunications [industry]. It even extended first to the Chinese app TikTok, and then later DeepSeek, both banned from government electronic devices, while Chinese-made security cameras have been barred from government buildings.
The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) decisions have so heavily focused on China, that many industry figures are worried that wariness by the FIRB is seriously affecting the capital inflow needed to develop Australia, especially in the area of transition to clean energy. Some Chinese firms have been blocked from projects which would have helped Australia meet its clean energy targets. New wind and solar projects with Chinese money have also been blocked by the FIRB from making the necessary land purchases needed to establish them.
GT: Both sides emphasize the need to diversify economic and trade relations. In your opinion, what are the most promising specific cooperation projects or directions in emerging fields?
Queripel: Clearly clean energy is a field that needs cooperation. Australia was at the forefront in initial research around solar energy. Now, of course, China is the global powerhouse, not only in solar energy, but in all forms of clean energy.
Australian mining entrepreneur Andrew Forrest and his company Fortescue have been strongly committed to developing "Green Hydrogen," the development of which would revolutionize numerous fields, particularly the manufacture of steel. Some Australian states are at the forefront in developing clean energy power grids. South Australia has, on occasions, been 100 percent powered by renewables, with plans for that to be permanent by 2027. The development of photovoltaics, in which Australia has played a prominent role, will make this possible. Australian-developed green hydrogen and photovoltaics have great potential in the massive Chinese market.
China is likely to be the world's first electro-state, and given the rapid growth of renewable energy in China, it is likely that electro-state may well become a clean energy electro-state. Becoming such an electro-state, China would represent a paradigm shift as great as that of the industrial revolution of the 18th to 19th centuries. Just as that revolution fueled England to be a global power, so too is the advent of the electro-state likely to do the same for China.
With critical minerals or rare earths, both China and Australia hold large deposits. These minerals will grow in importance, due to their increased need in electronics, computing, communications, batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, medical equipment, and military applications. They are the minerals of the future. They need to be cooperatively used to facilitate ongoing human technological development.
GT: Based on your observation, what is the general sentiment toward China in Australian society today?
Queripel: Sentiment toward China in Australia is improving but there is still a long way to go. It is always easier to inculcate fear than build trust, so once those interested in stoking fear, politicians, the media and the Australian security apparatus, the latter totally dominated by and serving US interests, it was simple to turn public opinion.
With the election of a Labor Government in 2022 relations began to incrementally change. A recent poll by the Australian-based Lowy Institute shows that while the gradual warming is encouraging, the poll also shows there is still a long way to go to bring relations back to where they were in the halcyon days a decade ago.
GT: How do you view the hype over the so-called "China threat" by some organizations and people in Australia?
Queripel: Australian security agencies, heavily intertwined with their US counterparts through such things as the Five Eyes Alliance, perpetuate the idea of this threat, with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) being at the forefront. The media, always looking for a shock/horror story, is happy to run with what it is fed, while the Western "military industrial complex" has much to gain financially by hyping a "China threat." All this security talk ignores China having never shown any preparedness to threaten its neighbors, nor be involved in military adventurism. Hopefully Australians will eventually understand their security lies more with a stable, multilateral China, rather than an increasingly capricious and unpredictable US. Current US policies, especially around trade protectionism, are likely to strengthen that current trend, with the above referenced Lowy Poll showing a huge 20 percent loss of faith in the US by Australians.
GT: Climate change is viewed by both sides as an important potential area for cooperation. Do you believe that strengthening cooperation in green transformation, renewable energy, and low-carbon technologies can serve as an effective lever to shape a more positive relationship?
Queripel: In the struggle to maintain a clean, green, and livable climate, Australia and China are "natural allies." Many Australians falsely think of China as being the major cause of increasing atmospheric CO2. Unknown is the fact that China is very rapidly moving away from carbon-based power to clean energy. Two-thirds of the global increase in renewable energy in the past year came from China. This is a good news story which gets little attention in Australia. There is a massive change being undertaken in China, completely ignored by the Australia media. The large-scale de-desertification projects, the incredible growth in EVs, and the technological advances in renewable energy taking place in China are all too often ignored or unknown in Australia.
On this trip Albanese has met both Australian and Chinese industry leaders to discuss "green steel." Australia has made significant advances in decarbonizing steel manufacture, and given China's appetite for construction, developments in this field will be significant in the fight against climate change.
GT: China is seeking to join the CPTPP, of which Australia is an important member. How do you think Australia's position on this issue will affect the long-term prospects of bilateral economic and trade relations?
Queripel: At a time when open and fair trade is under attack, frameworks like the RCEP and CPTPP have increased relevance and utility. The RCEP, of which China is a member, has helped consolidate and grow trade in the Asian region. This has enabled Asia to become the economic growth engine now powering the world. With China at its heart, the RCEP has demonstrated its success. The CPTPP as a wider grouping spanning the Pacific Ocean, was originally to include the US. Under the first Trump presidency they, however, refused to ratify that, which at that stage was going to be the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). With the US sidelining itself the name was changed to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership, a change picking up the idea that the process was not completed, and that other nations may apply to join the organization.
With Australia holding the chair in 2025, an ideal opportunity presents itself - to admit China as a member. It clearly makes sense for Australia to press for China's admittance, given the benefit Australia derives from Chinese trade.
GT: Besides visa facilitation, what do you think are the biggest opportunities currently facing the deepening of bilateral tourism cooperation? How can people-to-people exchanges better promote bilateral cooperation and understanding?
Queripel: There is an enormous opportunity for China to attract tourists. The natural scenery, rich culture, and fascinating history, along with ease of travel on amazing infrastructure make travel easy. Travel is also extremely well priced for flights, internal transport, and accommodation, while for Australians, China is also closer than most other destinations. For either individual travel, or as part of a tour, organized by one of the growing numbers of tour agencies, China is a very appealing and affordable destination.
China has just again extended its visa free entry to more nations. Currently, the greatest bottleneck to travel by Australians to China is the sort of fear generated by the propaganda of which I have spoken. But greater people-to-people interactions will help break that as obviously increasing interactions between people is the best means to overcoming fear and suspicion.
In response to reports that Taiwan region's military will conduct the Han Kuang-41 live-troop exercise starting from July 9, an exercise focusing on subjects such as the so-called "response to gray-zone harassment," "joint anti-landing operations," and "resilient defense on the island," with many US weapons making their debut during the exercise, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said on Tuesday that the Han Kuang exercise is nothing but a bluff and a self-deceiving trick played by the region's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to hijack Taiwan compatriots on board its "Taiwan Independence" war chariot.
Jiang noted that "the DPP authorities are harming Taiwan out of its selfish interests. We solemnly warn the DPP authorities that 'seeking independence by force' is a dead end."
"Whatever subjects they drill and whatever weapons they use, the PLA's resolute countermeasures against 'Taiwan Independence' would not be deterred, nor would the overwhelming and irresistible trend of China's national reunification be stopped," Jiang said.
When asked to comment on Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's fourth speech in the so-called "10 Lectures on Unity," which hyped up the so-called "mainland military threat," advocated for an increased "defense" budget, and called on the Taiwan region military to fight for Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Jiang responded that Taiwan Island is a province of China, therefore where does the so-called "defense" budget come from?
Lai has distorted history and twisted facts, wrapping his separatist "Taiwan independence" agenda in carefully fabricated lies, Jiang said. He further noted that Lai deliberately plays up the so-called "mainland threat," stokes security anxiety, manipulates public opinion in Taiwan region, and attempts to militarize the island, with the aim of locking Taiwan's future into a strategic game manipulated by external forces.
Jiang stressed that Lai's call to "fight for Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" is in reality a fight for the selfish interests of the DPP, the so-called fight for "Taiwan independence" separatism, and a deception that drags the Taiwan compatriots down a doomed path of "resisting reunification by force," "selling out Taiwan" and "destroying Taiwan."
Both sides of the Straits belong to one China. Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu are all sacred Chinese territory, and people on both sides are all Chinese. The louder Lai and his ilk clamor, the faster their downfall will come. Any attempt to use forces to support "Taiwan independence" will only lead to shared destruction.
"The PLA has the confidence and the capability to crush all separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence" and to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Jiang said.
In response to a media inquiry about the Taiwan region's launch of its "annual military exercise" - which will, for the first time, use the newly delivered US high-tech rocket system, - and remarks by the leader of Taiwan's defense authority stating that the exercise is intended to demonstrate to the mainland that the island's military has the capability and confidence to defend "a free and democratic life," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Wednesday that first of all, Taiwan's so-called "exercise" is not a diplomatic matter.
"But what I can tell you is that our position on opposing military ties between the US and Taiwan region is consistent and very firm," Mao said, noting that the DPP authorities' attempt to "pursue 'independence' by force and relying on external support' won't succeed.
