Chinese stooge threatens 'just war' with US if its soldiers return to Taiwan

The editor of Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times Hu Xijin has hit out at an article published in the professional journal of the U.S. army which calls for a return of American forces to Taiwan. The Chinese stooge tweeted out his frustration at the piece written by Capt. Walker D. Mills, from the U.S. Marine Corps in the latest edition of Military Review.

According to Newsweek.com, the article says that the regional balance of power in East Asia is shifting away from the United States and Taiwan and towards mainland China. In Captain Mills view, this meant that the U.S. needed to consider basing ground forces on the island "if it is committed to defending Taiwanese sovereignty."

The article headlined "Deterring the Dragon," has Captain Mills warning that the current power balance made a surprise attack on Taiwan "more likely" and believes that American leadership has to "face down" international pressure "against a deliberate and more global conflict with China."

'PLA will definitely start a war'

Xijin in a tweet said that "I must warn people in the US and Taiwan who hold this kind of thinking. Once they take the step of returning US forces to Taiwan, the PLA will definitely start a just war to safeguard China’s territorial integrity. China’s Anti-Secession Law is a tiger with teeth."

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Tensions have risen in the Taiwan Strait as the US has stepped up its official engagement with the self-ruled island that China considers part of its national territory.

On Tuesday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited a military base on one of its outlying islands, Penghu, after a recent show of strength by Beijing, in which, scores of Chinese jets had crossed the midline of Taiwan strait. During the visit, Tsai said that provocations by the People's Liberation Army are disturbing the peace of its area.

China has increased diplomatic and military pressure on Tsai's government over her refusal to agree to China's insistence that the island be considered part of Chinese territory. The vast majority of Taiwanese reject the prospect of political union with China under one country, two systems framework used for Hong Kong.

Following Tsai's election in 2016, China cut off contact with the Taiwanese government and has sought to isolate it, siphoning off the island's diplomatic allies while ratcheting up political, military and economic pressure.

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