Beijing ready to snuff out any separatist move, and live-fire drill in Taiwan Strait is proof, official says
Head of mainland-based Taiwan Affairs Office says any attempt to divide Chinese territory is destined to fail
The live-fire exercise that mainland China’s navy plans to hold in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday is designed to show that Beijing will not tolerate any moves by separatist forces to divide its territory, a top Taiwan affairs official from the mainland Chinese government said on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a cross-strait forum in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, criticised Taiwanese Premier William Lai for advocating independence for the self-ruled island, and warned that any attempts to achieve it would fail.
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“[Beijing’s] military drills will be a move to safeguard our motherland’s sovereignty and integrity,” he said, when asked about the purpose of the exercise.
“[The mainland] has enough willpower and capability to stop any attempt, in word or deed, to split any territory from the motherland.”
The People’s Liberation Army announced on Thursday that its Navy would hold the live-fire drills off the coast of Quanzhou in the southeastern province of Fujian.
Both Taipei and Washington are close to crossing Beijing’s red line