Mainland chastises US politicians for urging more military funding for Taiwan

A Chinese mainland spokeswoman on Wednesday slammed some politicians from the United States who called for more US military funding for Taiwan and suggested the use of self-detonating drones in possible conflicts with China, saying that they were only using the Taiwan question to contain the country.

Last week, four US congressmen sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, urging him to include up to $2 billion in so-called foreign military financing grants for Taiwan in his upcoming budget request, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, according to Nikkie Asia, the US Marines would consider expanding the use of self-detonating drones in the so-called Indo-Pacific region, Marine Corps Commandant David Berger said last week, indicating that these weapons could be deployed against Chinese warships at sea in a future possible conflict across the Taiwan Straits.

Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that "the moves and remarks made by US politicians fully demonstrates that the US's anti-China forces, out of their own interests, are condoning and encouraging 'Taiwan independence' forces to take risks and provoking tensions across the Taiwan Straits."

Such forces aim to utilize the island to "contain China's development" and "obstruct the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", Zhu said.

She warned that any attempt by the island's Democratic Progressive Party authority to seek "independence" by relying on the US would only harm Taiwan and "bring disaster to Taiwan compatriots".

The spokeswoman also expressed firm opposition to any forms of official and military exchanges between the US and Taiwan, and urged the US to abide by the one-China principle in response to a recent visit to the island by Michael Chase, the US deputy assistant secretary of defense for China.

She stressed that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it, and that the DPP authority will fail in its efforts to "hook up with outside forces" to seek "independence".