War with China ‘likely’ if Taiwan continues to seek independence, says ex-PLA general
War with China ‘likely’ if Taiwan continues to seek independence, says ex-PLA general
Comments by Luo Yuan, hawkish retired PLA major general, come after independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party’s election success
The comments of retired PLA major general Luo Yuan were published more than a week after the landslide victory by the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan’s elections. File photo: Simon Song
A retired Chinese People’s Liberation Army major general has warned that war is likely if self-ruled Taiwan continues to seek independence.
“We have promised that Chinese people never fight against Chinese people, but if the pro-independence forces continue to press us, we will have no other chance but [to seek] reunification through use of force,” says Luo Yuan, a hawkish retired People’s Liberation Army major general.
Luo’s strong words appeared in a commentary published byGlobal Times, a nationalist tabloid,on Monday, more than a week after a landslide victory by the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections.
“We have long been proposing peaceful development across the strait, but it doesn’t mean that we have weakened our will for reunification,” Luo said. “The final goal is reunification rather than a ‘peaceful divide’.
Unification means peace and independence means war,” Luo warned. “Independence would never be equal with peace.”
The election result is widely regarded as a defeat for the incumbent Kuomintang (KMT) party’s Beijing-friendly policies, although Luo did not refer directly to the “independence forces”.
State-run CCTV reported last week that the People’s Liberation Army, based in the coastal city of Xiamen, in Fujian province, carried out live-fire exercises and landing drills.
Taiwan expressed concern about the report, but the mainland’s defence ministry later said that the drill was conducted last year, adding that people should not read too much into the CCTV report.
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