China's foreign minister lashed out yesterday at people he accused of having "ulterior motives" toward Taiwan, insisting in several minutes of pointed commentary that Beijing would brook no interference in the de facto independent nation's fate.
"No one will be allowed to use any means to split Taiwan from the rest of China," Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
Li's vehement comments on Taiwan were nothing new for China's government, but the fact that he made them was extraordinary. The issue is continually framed by Beijing as an internal affair that has no relevance to the Foreign Ministry.
But, said Li, "There's a lot I want to say." And he did.
"The Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. To maintain national unity is the Chinese nation's most important mission," he said. "The Taiwan question has been complicated by some people unnecessarily, out of ulterior motives."
He added: "It's really a simple question. There is one China. Taiwan and the mainland are part of that one China."
"China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division. In the end, this is an internal affair of China," Li said. "The Chinese people love peace, but we will not allow any external force to interfere in our quest for reunification."
He also reiterated that Taiwan was "the biggest issue in Sino-US relations." The US has diplomatic relations with China but, under US law, must guarantee Taiwan's security.
Li's comments came two weeks before Taiwan holds a presidential election and a referendum on public opinion about the missiles China has pointed at the island.
Also yesterday, China announced an 11.6 percent hike in military spending, a high-profile expression of support for the People's Liberation Army days before the referendum. The added spending is needed to improve the "defensive combat readiness of the armed forces under high-tech conditions," Finance Minister Jin Renqing (
Jin didn't give a total for spending on the world's largest military but said outlays this year would increase by 21.8 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion), or 11.6 percent. Last year's announced military budget was 185.3 billion yuan (US$22.4 billion), an increase of 9.6 percent.
The official budget does not include weapons purchases, research and development and other costs. The Pentagon puts actual spending at up to four times the public figures.
China is struggling to make its poorly equipped 2.5 million troops more effective and to adapt to a high-tech world. It has given the politically influential military double-digit budget increases every year for 15 years -- except last year.
"We will focus on developing new and high technology weaponry and equipment, foster a new type of highly competent military personnel and promote modernization of our armed forces," Premier Wen Jiabao (
Wen acknowledged the challenge of balancing national defense needs with the requirements of economic development -- especially the need to help the nation's struggling farmers.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
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