China’s Defense Ministry warns any attempt to prevent Taiwan-China reunification will fail

China’s Ministry of Defense has claimed that any attempt to prevent Taiwan's reunification with mainland China will fail.

Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry made the statement on Thursday, urging the United States to stop its supply of arms to the self-governed island nation.

The development comes after the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September approved the Taiwan Policy Act. The act provides $4.5 billion worth of military aid to Taiwan and bolsters the island nation’s presence in international organisations without breaking the One-China policy.

Speaking at a briefing, Kefei stated strongly, “Settlement of the issue of Taiwan is a matter of exclusively the Chinese people and the Chinese should deal with it on their own. We urge the US to stop playing with fire,” adding, “Any attempt to prevent a complete reunification of China will inevitably fail," reported Sputnik.

China warns of ‘escalation’ due to US interference

Adding fuel to the fire in already strained Sino-US relations, Kefei said that further military contacts between Washington and Taipei as well as the supply of US arms to the island would escalate the situation in the Taiwan Strait and could lead to a confrontation in the region between the US and China.

In response to a previous statement by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning commented, “Taiwan is a part of China, and it is not China, but the Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan’s government) and the US that are trying to change the status quo," reported Sputnik. The comment was made earlier in the day and was in response to a statement made by Blinken on Wednesday stating that Chinese attempts to change the status quo in its relations with Taiwan should be a signal of worry for the international community. 

The Sino-US relations soured after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in early August, despite repeated warnings against such step by Beijing. The visit had escalated the chances of a military confrontation between the two nations.   

China condemned Pelosi's trip, regarding it as a gesture of support for separatism. Moreover, Beijing launched large-scale military exercises around Taiwan after Pelosi’s return. The Chinese military exercises included blockading the island nation from six zones and live-fire drills which included missile launches. Several countries, including Germany, France, the United States, Japan and others, have sent their delegations to the island since then.