Taiwan's independence is "incompatible" with peace, Chinese diplomacy said today, at a time when the Chinese army is carrying out large-scale military exercises around the island.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference that China is committed to "peace and stability in the region", something that "all major countries can see".
"If the US is interested in peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, it should respect the 'one China' principle, not send wrong signals to pro-independence forces and stop supplying weapons to Taiwan", she added.
Mao was responding to statements by the US government, which today expressed its "concern" about the new wave of military exercises initiated by the Chinese army, stressing that they are "unjustified" and could "escalate" tension in the region.
The exercises, called Joint Sword-2024B, include simulated blockades and control of key ports, and serve as a "warning" to Taiwan's "independence" forces, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, a territory it has considered a "rebel province" since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the war against the communist army.
The maneuvers involve land, sea, air and missile forces. Beijing also confirmed the use of the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
In recent days, Taiwan has warned that the Liaoning, the oldest of China's three aircraft carriers, is sailing in the waters around the island, heading southeast of Yonaguni Island, off the southern tip of Japan.
Today's action is the fifth time China has resorted to such maneuvers since 2022, when it carried out the first of its kind in response to the visit of then-Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which angered Beijing and raised tensions between the two sides of the strait to levels not seen in decades.
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