WASHINGTON: Chinese ambassador to the US has warned that Washington's support for Taiwan's "aspirations for independence" might lead to a military conflict between the US and China. Taiwan has been governed independently for over seven decades. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, which is a territory with its own democratically-elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country.
"If, you know the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the US, you know, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely will involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in the military conflict," Chinese ambassador Qin Gang told the US radio station NPR on Friday.
This interview comes a few days ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics next month. Tensions have been rising between the two counrtries since the US announced a "diplomatic boycott" of the Games in protest of what it terms the "ongoing genocide" of Uyghurs.
ALSO READ | China sends 39 warplanes toward Taiwan
The Chinese envoy has rejected the accusations of "genocide" as "fabrications, lies and disinformation." "The destination for them is prisons," he said while asserting that others had inappropriate thoughts that they were being taught to change in "vocational schools."
Stating that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are Chinese, Ambassador Qin added that the last thing we should do is fight with "compatriots."
"People on both sides of Taiwan Straits are Chinese, so we are compatriots. So the last thing we should do is to fight with compatriots. And we will do our utmost in the greatest sincerity to achieve peaceful reunification," he said.
These remarks come as Beijing has not ruled out military force to take Taiwan and has kept the pressure on the democratic island over the past few years with frequent warplane flights into Taiwan's air defence identification zone.