Peace in the Taiwan Strait and the island’s independence are incompatible, the Chinese government warned on Monday, on the third day of military exercises in this area.
“Taiwan independence and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are mutually exclusive,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a regular briefing. “If we want to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, we must firmly oppose any form of separatism for Taiwanese independence,” he added.
Live firing scheduled for Monday
China, which has been organizing three days of military maneuvers around Taiwan since Saturday, has mobilized a wide range of military equipment with the aim of intimidating this territory it claims.
The operation, which is due to conclude on Monday with live-fire exercises, was launched in response to a meeting last week between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and a senior US official.