China affirms that it "will not show mercy" in the face of "independence acts" in Taiwan

The Chinese Army “will not show mercy” in the face of “any act favorable to Taiwan's independence,” said General Zhang Youxia, vice president of the Central Military Commission, the highest authority of the Chinese army, this Monday during the tenth edition of the Xiangshan regional forum on cooperation and security.

“It doesn't matter who wants to separate Taiwan from China, no matter how. “The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will never accept it,” Zhang said.

He added that Taiwan is at the “core” of “China's core interests,” and that the One China principle “is a consensus shared by the international community.”. “China will never tolerate any attempt to separate the island from China,” the official concluded.

The statements come less than two months before the island holds presidential and legislative elections, on January 13, to decide the direction of Taiwanese policy towards China, at a time of strong tensions between Taipei and Beijing.

The current vice president, William Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), leads the polls to win the elections.

Tensions between Taipei and Beijing, constant since the DPP came to power in 2016, intensified last summer due to the visit of the then president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, strongly protested by the Chinese authorities.

Since then, Taipei has reported an increase in incursions by the Chinese army in its vicinity, reaching a record of 103 aircraft on September 18.

Tension with the US

The self-governed island is one of the main reasons for friction between China and the US, since the North American country is Taiwan's main arms supplier.

In that sense, Zhang pointed out today that “a certain country”, in a veiled reference to the United States, is “interfering in the Asia-Pacific and in the internal affairs of other nations.”

“Wherever that country extends its hands, peace and tranquility are not possible,” Zhang said during the Forum, which started Sunday and runs through Tuesday.

At the event, marked by the absence of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu (dismissed last week and for whom a successor has not yet been appointed), Zhang focused his speech on the so-called Global Security Initiative, a set of principles proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve global conflicts and criticizes the use of unilateral sanctions.

Zhang also noted that China seeks to “deepen its strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia on the basis of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.”