Emboldened Taiwan threatened with war
The Chinese government has threatened Taiwan with war if the sovereign country continues to push for independence from the mainland.
Quoted in the China Daily, Wang Zaixi, vice-minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s drive for independence could trigger all out military action.
He warned of Taiwan’s “extreme push for independence.”
Chen, who is running for re-election, has adopted a confrontational pro-independence stance.
He pledged to hold a referendum on Taiwan’s status if voters backed him.
But Beijing abides with its one-China principle and considers the island part of its territory, despite the two countries’ official separation since 1949.
US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said he opposed any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
