Singapore:
Chinese Foreign Minister Wei Fenghe has retaliated against US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s statement. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, discussing China’s approach to the regional system, said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China will fight till the end.
He also said that no one should underestimate the resolve and capability of the PLA to protect China’s territorial integrity.
The Chinese leader’s remarks came in response to a speech by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin a day earlier. He stressed that China’s aggressive and dangerous actions are a threat to stability in Asia.
Meanwhile, the Chinese minister said today that those who are citing Taiwan’s independence in an attempt to divide China will certainly not have a good end.
“We will fight to the end at all costs,” Fenghe said today.
At the Premier Defense Forum in Singapore on Saturday, Austin had said that Indo-Pacific countries should not face political threat, economic coercion or persecution by maritime militias.
“We are firmly committed to our one-China policy guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communique and the six assurances,” he said.
“We explicitly oppose any unilateral action.”
Austin said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) threatens to undermine security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
“As part of our one-China policy we will continue to fulfill our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act. This includes assisting Taiwan in maintaining adequate self-defense capability and means maintaining its ability to resist any use of force or other forms of coercion, which could affect the security of the Taiwanese people or the social or economic system,” he said.
The US Secretary of Defense also emphasized an independent and open Indo-Pacific. He said the United States (US) was at the center of national security strategies and the partnership that regional nations have forged with the United States (US) is at the core of peace.
American strategists no longer talk about the US axis for Asia.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reckless war has reminded us of the dangers of undermining an international order inherent in rules and respect,” the US Defense Secretary said.
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