China's military confident, prepared to safeguard sovereignty: paper

Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) raise a Chinese national flag during the military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the army at Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, July 30, 2017. China Daily via REUTERS

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's military is "confident, capable and fully prepared" to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the state-run China Daily on Tuesday quoted Defence Minister Chang Wanquan as saying in reference to Taiwan.

Despite decades of growing trade across the Taiwan Strait, China has never renounced the use of force, if needed, to gain control of Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province.