A top Chinese official suggested in a tweet about Taiwan that China wouldn’t hesitate to “sacrifice one thousand soldiers” to “defend even an inch of land.” The official then urged the U.S. to adhere to the “one-China principle” and strongly oppose Taiwan independence.
Hua Chunying, China’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, tweeted, “SC & FM Wang Yi said in NY: ‘To defend even an inch of land, a country will not hesitate to sacrifice one thousand soldiers.’ This old Chinese saying reflects the strong will and resolve of the Chinese people.”
“In order to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the US should return to the original meaning of the one-China principle and unequivocally oppose and curb ‘Taiwan independence’ activities,” Hua added.
Hua’s comments come days after President Joe Biden made a new vow to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” program that aired Sunday evening.
In the interview, host Scott Pelley asked Biden if U.S. Forces would defend the island from an attack.
“Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack,” Biden replied.
As Biden began to describe defending Taiwan from an attack, the ”60 Minutes” segment cut to a statement by the White House that said the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. “60 Minutes” noted that official U.S. policy has been to not say definitively whether it would intervene on Taiwan’s behalf.
Last week, Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) wrote to the U.S. Department of Commerce to raise concerns about equipment made by the Chinese tech firm Huawei reportedly being used on cell phone towers near U.S. military bases. More than ten thousand U.S. troops and civilian employees at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska may be at risk of having their cell data stolen due to the Chinese equipment that was installed on a nearby cell tower.
