Excerpts of interesting remarks made at the Shangri La Dialogue on June 10: Japanese PM
Fumio Kishida has announced "that his government would consider acquiring a pre-emptive
strike capability because 'Ukraine today may be east Asia tomorrow'."
The PRC Ministry of Defense report on the meeting said that the U.S. should be rational and
"refrain from attacking and smearing China, containing and suppressing China, interfering in
China's internal affairs or harming China's interests. Only in this way can the China-US
relationship go smoothly." The Guardian added that Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe also said: "Beijing will 'not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost' if Taiwan declares
independence.
According to the US Government statement: US Defence Secretary Austin "read chapter and
verse of the Taiwan Relations Act and stressed the part about the peace and stability in the
Taiwan Strait 'being of grave concern' to the United States."
The New York Times (June 11) reported that Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe,
speaking on the last day of the Shangri La Dialogue, said China will not flinch from war if
Taiwan takes a decisive step toward independence, and it does not trust the United States’
assertions that it opposes that course for the island. In his speech General Wei Fenghe said that
China was sincerely doing everything it could to bring about peaceful unification with Taiwan,
the self-governed island that Beijing considers its own, but “no one should ever underestimate
the resolve and capabilities of China’s armed forces” to defend its sovereignty claims". He said
“For the sake of unification, the United States fought the war between North and South. China
is most unwilling to go through a civil war like that, but will resolutely smash any schemes for
Taiwan independence. If anyone dares to split off Taiwan, we will not hesitate to fight, will not
flinch from the cost, and will fight to the very end.” Reporting the statement, the Global Times
(June 11) captioned it: "Chinese defense chief sends 'strongest warning' to US on Taiwan
question".
PLA General Xiaozhuo Zhao of the PLA Delegation raised a question as to the purpose of the
Shangri La Dialogue. He said there are divergent views about it with one view labelling it as
being used by the US to for propaganda purposes.
|
