BEIJING – China would never tolerate separatists and their supporters inand outside China.
Beijing said any such schemes for self-ruled Taiwan would never betolerated and China would safeguard its territorial integrity with the aimof “reunification” with an island it considers its sacred territory.
Premier Li Keqiang issued the warning in a speech at the opening of theannual session of China’s parliament, his stern words coming amid mountingChinese anger over a US bill that seeks to raise official contacts betweenWashington and Taipei.
On Friday, China said Taiwan would only get burnt if it sought to rely onforeigners, adding to the warnings from state media about the risk of war.
The US legislation, which only needs President Donald Trump’s signature tobecome law, says it should be US policy to allow officials at all levels totravel to Taiwan to meet their counterparts, permit high-level Taiwanofficials to enter the United States “under respectful conditions” and meetUS officials.
In his address to assembly, Li said China would promote the peaceful growthof relations across the Taiwan Strait and “advance China’s peacefulreunification”.
“We will remain firm in safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorialintegrity and will never tolerate any separatist schemes or activities forTaiwan independence,” Li said, to applause from the 3,000-odd legislatorsat the Great Hall of the People.
“As fellow Chinese living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, we share abond of kinship. As long as we go with the tide of history and worktogether for our nation’s greater good, we will together create the future- a beautiful future of national rejuvenation.”
Separately, China said defence spending for 2018 would rise 8.1 per centcompared with the previous year, a number that will likely add to Taiwan’sconcern about Chinese intentions amid a stepped up Chinese militarypresence near the island.
Zhang Zhijun, head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters afterLi had finished speaking that China’s people would never stand for any bidby Taiwan to secure its independence.
“We have resolute will, full confidence and even fuller ability to preventany sort or form of Taiwan independence separatist acts,” Zhang said.
China’s hostility towards Taiwan has risen since the election to presidentof Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in2016.
China suspects Tsai wants to push for formal independence, which wouldcross a red line for Communist Party leaders in Beijing, though Tsai hassaid she wants to maintain the status quo and is committed to ensuringpeace.
Beijing considers democratic Taiwan to be a wayward province and integralpart of “one China”, ineligible for state-to-state relations, and has neverrenounced the use of force to bring it under its control.
Hong Kong has been another troublesome area for China’s leadership,especially after students organised weeks of protests in late 2014 to pushfor full democracy.
China will continue to implement to the letter and in spirit the “onecountry, two systems” method of rule for the Chinese territories of HongKong and Macau, Li said. – Agencies