State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe answers a question from a reporter on June 12 at the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. (LI XIAOWEI / FOR CHINA DAILY)

China’s development is not a threat, but a significant contribution to world peace and development, and the country will also firmly defend its interests when necessary, State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 12.

“China’s development is irreversible, and the country firmly adheres to the path of peaceful development,” he said at the international security forum in a speech on the theme of China’s vision for regional order.

But the nation will have no choice but to go to war and fight to the end if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from the motherland, Wei said at the forum, in remarks that were also made on June 10 during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“Peaceful reunification is the largest aspiration of the Chinese people, and we are willing to put our best efforts into that,” Wei said.

But “if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from the motherland, China has no choice but to go to war, fight at all cost, and fight to the end”, the defense chief said. “No one should ever underestimate the strong resolve and ability of the Chinese military to safeguard its territorial integrity.”

“The Taiwan question is China’s internal affairs and the unification of the motherland will absolutely be achieved,” Wei said, adding that “Taiwan separatists” will definitely come to no good end and foreign inference will categorically fail.

Wei also spoke on China-US relations, which he said now stand at a critical point.

“China opposes defining the China-US ties as a competition,” he said, adding that the US would make a historic and strategic mistake if it regards China as a threat, rival or even enemy.

He urged the US not to smear or try to contain China, not to interfere in its internal affairs or harm its interests.

“The two militaries should enhance strategic communication to avoid miscalculation and manage risks and crises to avoid conflicts,” Wei said.

On June 10, during a meeting with Austin, Wei said the recent US announcement of arms sales to Taiwan had severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, seriously damaged China’s sovereignty and security, and gravely jeopardized China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

On June 8, the US announced its latest arms sale to Taiwan — $120 million worth of spare ship parts and other equipment, the fourth arms package to Taiwan approved under US President Joe Biden.

Wei stressed to Austin that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-US relationship and attempts to play the “Taiwan card” to contain China will be in vain, he said.

Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher of international military relations at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said Wei’s remarks indicate that China has drawn a crystal-clear red line for the US for it to deal with issues related to China’s core interests.

Henry Chan, a visiting senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said: “It is good that Wei leaves no doubt on what the People’s Liberation Army will do if Taiwan tries to break away from China, and this position should be a no-brainer and intuitive. Which country in the world would allow its territory to be broken away?”

Ngeow Chow-Bing, director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, said China has never renounced the use of force in dealing with the Taiwan question, but has always prioritized peaceful reunification.

The meeting between Wei and Austin was the first time that the two top defense officials talked in person. 

During the meeting, Wei also told Austin that the US must adopt a rational perspective toward China’s development, and that it should not demonize or contain China, nor should it interfere in China’s domestic affairs or jeopardize the nation’s interests.

China is willing to establish a “sound, stable great-power relationship” with the US and that should be a shared goal for both sides, Wei said.

At the meeting, both sides agreed that the two militaries should maintain high-level strategic communication, enhance strategic mutual trust, contain divergences and avoid turning these into confrontations or conflicts, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

In a speech on June 11, Austin detailed Washington’s “Indo-Pacific” strategy and accused China of threatening to undermine security, stability and prosperity in the region. 

Wei responded by criticizing the “Indo-Pacific” strategy of the US as a way to “create small circles under the pretext of freedom and openness”.

Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said Austin apparently aimed to exert pressure on China.

“The US is now on purpose building a scenario that China is about to use force across the Straits,” Zhou said. “But China has expressed time and again that it shall do its utmost with maximum sincerity to achieve a peaceful reunification. The use of force would be the last choice.”

Zhang Chi, an associate professor at the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University, said he believes most Asia-Pacific countries have a shared opinion with China on the region’s security.

“I could see many Southeast Asian delegates nod and applaud when hearing Wei’s words of ‘enhancing communication and avoiding miscalculation’,” said Zhang, who was a member of Chinese delegation to the security forum in Singapore.

Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher at the People’s Liberation Army Academy of Military Science, said the US is attempting to maintain its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region by creating a sense of insecurity in the region.

Wei, in his speech, emphasized that China aims to make the South China Sea a sea of “peace, friendship and cooperation” and that the region’s countries should remain vigilant and prevent any interference from countries outside the region.

During their meeting on June 10, Wei and Austin also exchanged views on the South China Sea, Ukraine and other regional and global issues, according to a news release from China’s Ministry of National Defense.

Speaking about Ukraine, Wei pointed out that China will continue working to play a constructive role in pursuing peace, but warned that the country will firmly counter any attempt to use the issue to damage China’s rights and interests.

On June 13, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Beijing has urged the US to stop creating divisions and instigating confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region.

At a news briefing in Beijing, Wang said that China demands the US honors its commitments and matches its words with deeds, referring to Austin’s remarks that the US does not seek “confrontation or conflict, a new Cold War, an Asian NATO, or a region split into hostile blocs”.

The spokesman said the major threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits comes from “Taiwan independence” forces and the connivance of the US with them.

Colonel Cao Jing, a researcher of international studies at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said it is in the common interests of the international community that the Chinese and US militaries maintain a stable relationship.

“Both sides should work together toward safeguarding peace and stability, rather than make trouble. Both sides could use the meeting as an opportunity to improve communication and open practical collaboration,” she said.

Prime Sarmiento in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn