Beijing accuses Taipei and ‘external forces’ of escalating tensions in the region


Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun speaking at the fifth plenary session of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on June 2. - ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Anyone who dares split Taiwan from China will be “crushed to pieces” and destroyed, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun told an international audience, using strong language to assert Beijing’s claim on Taiwan and warning against interference by the United States.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Admiral Dong blamed Taiwan’s ruling party, the independence-leaning Democratic People’s Party (DPP), and the Philippines – which he did not directly name but referred to as “a certain country emboldened by outside powers” – for tensions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea respectively.

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