Any country supporting Taiwan militarily would face the “worst consequences,” China’s government warned Saturday, adding that “no one and no force” would be able to stop the Communist Party if it took action against the island country, according to a report.
China’s relationship with Taiwan has come into focus against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the island bolstering its own defenses since the war started in case of aggression from the mainland.
Taiwan said it planned to double its yearly missile-production capacity this year. The announcement from the defense ministry came after Taiwan approved an extra $8.6 billion for military spending over the next five years.
Beijing doesn’t see Taiwan as a sovereign country but rather as a breakaway province that can be absorbed back into China by force if deemed necessary.
The Communist Party’s warning came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping held diplomatic talks with Australia, according to Sky News Australia.
China’s Ministry of National Defense accused Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton of “ideological bias” after he said the country would do “whatever we can” to keep China from attacking Taiwan, Sky News reported.
China has taken a more aggressive stance against the Democratic island nation lately, sending a record number of fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone late last year.
And last month, as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, nine Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense zone, prompting a broadcast warning from the island nation.
Taiwan has been increasingly on edge since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seeing parallels between their own situation with Beijing. After the invasion, the slogan “Today, Ukraine, tomorrow, Taiwan!” spread online, according to The New York Times.
According to some estimates, China spends more than $250 billion on its annual military budget, while Taiwan spends around $13 billion.
The Communist Party characteristically balked at Taiwan’s recent concerns in the wake of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, suggesting it’s exaggerated rhetoric meant to make Beijing look aggressive.
The setback for Russia has been encouraging to many in Taiwan.
This is an excerpt from Fox News.
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