China threatens retaliation, says support for Taiwan's independence 'doomed to fail'

Amid the escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei, China yet again slammed Taiwan and said that any support for the island’s independence is ‘doomed to fail’. While speaking at a press briefing, on September 21, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin threatened retaliation against US official’s trip to Taiwan and called the envoy’s visit a ‘political provocation’. 

Without elaborating on details, Wenbin warned that China will take ‘appropriate countermeasures, including targeting relevant individuals’. He said that US actions will ‘further damage the cooperation’ between America and Beijing. Further, Wenbin added that any support for Taiwan’s independence is a ‘dead-end’ and ‘doomed to fail’. 

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The ongoing rift between China and Taiwan increased over the weekend after Chinese aircraft ventured across the median line of the Taiwan Strait. During the visit of US Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach, China sent 18 fighter jets to harry the island to express its anger at the trip. The country also warned of military actions against the self-governing island if it tries to move forward with any political decision on Taiwan’s independence. 

While Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen pledged deeper ties with the US, China said that the island is clearly playing with fire. “If any act of her provocation violates the Anti-Secession Law of China, a war will be set off and Tsai will be wiped out,” Global Times wrote in a published editorial article. Taiwanese President, however, denounced the Chinese fighter jets crossing the median line and said that the action proved that Beijing is a threat to the entire region. She said that China’s decision to hover its aircraft above the island has revealed the true intentions of Beijing. 

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Ongoing tensions between China-Taiwan 

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and is particularly upset, as well as concerned about the growing relations between Taipei and Washington. Beijing has become more assertive on the reunification of Taiwan with China under “one country, two systems” which has threatened Taiwan’s claim of sovereignty. 

China has on several occasions expressed its willingness to annex Taiwan by force and the United States says that it is for this reason that they supply the island nation with arms, so that peace and stability could be maintained in the region. The US has openly supported Taiwan’s inclusion on important international platforms, especially at the World Health Assembly after its successful coronavirus response. However, the United States doesn't have any formal ties with Taiwan because of China's 'One China' policy which requires partners of Beijing to adhere to it.

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