China to 'Smash Any Attempts For Taiwan Independence,' Urges US to Stop Activities in Asia-Pacific

Tensions between mainland China and the US over Taiwan recently threatened to boil over following Washington inviting Taipei to take part in the US-initiated Summit for Democracy in early December.

China made it clear to the US on Thursday that there's "no room for compromise" on the issue of Taiwan, urging Washington to stop military activities in the Asia-Pacific immediately.

"We earnestly warn Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities that confrontation will go nowhere and 'seeking independence by force' will prove a dead end," Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday.

The spokesperson said that the US and China will both benefit from having a healthy and stable relationship.

"However, for a period of time, the US side has said a lot of irresponsible things and done a lot of provocative things on Taiwan, the South China Sea, and close up reconnaissance by warships and aircraft," Wu added.

Earlier this month, Taiwan outlined plans to counter China with its "tough and resilient" defence capabilities.

Taiwan's National Defense Report for 2021 claims that the island is caught in the middle of the "strategic competition" between the US and China, with the latter "leveraging its comprehensive national power to expand geopolitical influence."

Wu pointed out that "the reunification of China is an irresistible historical process."

The Chinese PLA is forever ready to fight to smash any separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence," he stressed.

Reacting to the US military's actions against officials accountable for the USS Connecticut nuclear submarine collision in theSouth China Sea, the spokesperson has demanded Washington stops reconnaissance, interference, provocation, and show of force in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We urge the US side to stop such activities immediately to avoid beating its head against the wall," Wu said.

Taiwan is a self-governing island but Beijing views it as a province of China and has been warning the Democratic Progressive Party against separatism.

The US Department of State issued a list of 110 participants on Wednesday who will take part in the virtual Summit for Democracy on December 9 and 10.

As per the statement, the summit will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad.

The list does not include China or Russia, while Taiwan is the only nation on the invitation list that Washington does not recognise as a sovereign state.