Taiwan an internal matter, China says after US' admiral's claim

When and how to resolve the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair and China does not tolerate any external interference, a Chinese mainland spokesman said on Wednesday.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remark after US Admiral John Aquilino, who is the leader of the Indo-Pacific Command, recently claimed that China would be prepared to use force against Taiwan by 2027.

The head of Taiwan's "security department" said they would conduct necessary analysis on the relevant information.

Chen condemned US politicians for having malicious intentions and continuously fabricating so-called "timelines", hyping up the mainland's "military threats", and exaggerating the atmosphere of war in the Taiwan Strait.

"This is simply providing excuses for interfering in the Taiwan question and profiteering for the US military-industrial complex," he said.

If the US government genuinely wants to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, they should take concrete actions to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques, ensuring that statements not supporting "Taiwan independence" are actually put into practice, he added.

Chen said that Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities, driven by their own interests, willingly serve as pawns for external forces to use Taiwan to contain the mainland, continuously seeking "independence" and even sacrificing the well-being and lives of people on the island.

They vigorously cater to the US, turning Taiwan into a "powder keg" and a "minefield", he said, adding that their actions are not in the interests of the people of Taiwan and will only further push Taiwan into a dangerous situation of potential conflict and war.

Chen said that Taiwan is part of China. Resolving the Taiwan question and achieving complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of all Chinese people, a sacred mission, and a just cause.