China’s Defense Minister, Li Shangfu, recently talked about Taiwan and warned against getting too involved in its issues. He compared it to playing with fire and said using Taiwan to control China won’t work. He said this during a meeting in Moscow.
Li stressed that Taiwan becoming part of China again will happen naturally. He said the Taiwan matter is China’s own business and shouldn’t have outside interference. He also said trying to use Taiwan to harm China will fail and backfire.
Li’s words are like what other Chinese officials have said before. But it’s important now because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Li’s comments came after Taiwan’s Vice President, William Lai, did some things that made China unhappy. China called Lai a “troublemaker” for stopping in the United States during his trip to Paraguay. Lai had talked about how important Taiwan’s safety is for global peace, and he emphasized democracy and freedom.
China really doesn’t like the US and Taiwan having official talks. China also doesn’t want Taiwan to break away from China.
At the same meeting, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, blamed the US for making world conflicts worse. China has similar thoughts about conflicts, even though it says it wants peace.
Li also talked about China’s military role in making world peace. He said Chinese leader Xi Jinping is trying to make the messy world more stable. China is ready to work with other countries to build trust and work together on safety.
China’s Communist Party thinks Taiwan is part of China and wants control, even if it means using force. The US doesn’t have official talks with Taiwan but supports its defense. Taiwan’s Vice President Lai is standing against China’s threats, saying Taiwan won’t be scared and will always support democracy and freedom.
China has been tougher with Taiwan recently, especially after Taiwan’s leaders met with US officials. Some experts think China is watching how the world is reacting to Russia’s actions in Ukraine to see how the world might react if China takes action against Taiwan.