BEIJING, Dec 8 (Reuters) – China vowed on Monday to defend its sovereignty and warned against ‘external interference’ after the United States unveiled a new security strategy aimed at increasing military power to prevent conflict with Beijing over Taiwan.
Washington laid out its approach to one of the world’s most sensitive diplomatic issues in its official National Security Strategy, released on Friday.
The document was published as Beijing last week deployed a large number of naval and coast guard vessels in East Asian waters in its biggest show of maritime force to date.
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Taiwan is the first red line that must not be crossed in relations between China and the US and China does not tolerate external interference, Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing when asked about the document.
‘The U.S. side must… handle the Taiwan issue with utmost prudence and stop giving in and supporting the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces in seeking independence by force or resisting reunification by force,’ he said.
Guo added that China is willing to work with Washington to promote stable ties while protecting its sovereignty, security and development interests.
China, which considers Taiwan its own territory, has never renounced the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The new US document was very well received in Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-te wrote in X on Saturday: ‘I very much appreciate the fact that the US National Security Strategy prioritizes preventing a conflict over Taiwan.’
Lai said Taiwan aims to spend 5% of its GDP on defense by 2030, and last month revealed $40 billion in extra defense spending for the period 2026 to 2033.
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(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei)
