On Friday, Chinese and US defense chiefs held their first face-to-face meeting in Singapore, with Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe reaffirming China's position on the Taiwan question, and stressing that the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight and will resolutely crush any Taiwan independence attempts to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference that Wei and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met in Singapore, which is of importance to implementing the important consensus between the two countries' top leaders and pushing forward the development of the two countries' military ties. They exchanged views on topics including the China-US relationship, military ties, the Taiwan question, the situation in the South China Sea, and the Ukraine issue, Wu said. Wu said it was a frank, positive and constructive communication. Both sides agreed that the two militaries should carefully implement the key consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries, keep frequent communication and manage risks and crises, Wu noted.
Chinese and US defense chiefs hold their first face-to- face meeting in Singapore on June 10, 2022. Photo: Ministry of Defense.
Wei reiterated China's firm stance on the Taiwan question. There is only one China, and Taiwan is a sacred, inalienable part of China's territory, Wei said, noting that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations, and attempting to contain China with the Taiwan question will fail. Wei said that the US recently announced another arms sale to the island of Taiwan, which seriously violated the One-China principle and the Three China-US Joint Communiqu s, harmed China's sovereignty and security interests and badly damaged China-US relations as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. China strongly opposes and strongly condemns this. If anyone wants to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to Wu's statement. On the South China Sea, Wei said countries in the region are willing to have wisdom to deal with questions about the South China Sea. The interference by external forces is the biggest uncertainty in the region. The US should take concrete measures and do more for the stability of the South China Sea, instead of stirring up trouble, inciting disputes and hyping confrontation, Wu quoted Wei as saying. On the Ukraine issue, Wei pointed out that China always upholds the principle of objectivity and fairness, and is making efforts to promote peace and talks. As a responsible major power, China will continue to play a constructive role, but if anyone wants to harm China's interests, China will respond resolutely with countermeasures, Wei said. The meeting was not long but had positive effects, according to Wu. The two sides will discuss communication and cooperation between the two militaries through military and diplomatic channels for the next step.