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Taiwan's new leadership pushing island towards war with China, says Beijing

Wu Qian stressed that the People’s Liberation Army of China "will continue to take necessary countermeasures" in response to supporters of "Taiwan’s independence"

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian AP Photo/Emily Wang Fujiyama

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian

© AP Photo/Emily Wang Fujiyama

BEIJING, May 24. /TASS/. Taiwan’s new administration is steering the island toward a military conflict with its incendiary rhetoric, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said at a press briefing.

"When the leaders of the Taiwanese region came to power, they seriously challenged the One China principle by openly promoting the idea of two states in an effort to ‘win independence’ with the help of foreign forces, all the while pushing their Taiwanese compatriots to the brink of a dangerous war situation," Wu said.

He stressed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China "will continue to take necessary countermeasures" in response to supporters of "Taiwan’s independence."

According to the local media, the speech delivered by the new Taiwanese leader, Lai Ching-te, during his inauguration on May 20, is at the root of the current escalation.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.

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