China: We will tighten the siege of Taiwan

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): The Chinese army says it will tighten the siege of Taiwan if separatism intensifies.

The Chinese army promised on Sunday that it will tighten the siege if separatism intensifies in Taiwan and warned independence supporters to stay away from the "abyss".

Beijing considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to seize it. In recent years, China has increased pressure on the authorities of the island by conducting military exercises and repeatedly sending fighter jets and warships to the area around Taiwan.

“The more brazen the Taiwan separatists become, the tighter the noose around their necks and the sharper the sword hanging over their heads will be,” Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese military, said in an interview broadcast by state broadcaster CCTV.

“This army is an operational force in countering separatism and promoting unity,” Wu said, referring to the People’s Liberation Army. “You have driven your horse to the brink, but there is still time to turn back; if you continue on your wrong path, you will reach a dead end,” he warned.

The remarks, made during China’s annual “Two Summits” meeting, came days after the country announced a 7.2 percent increase in its defense budget for 2025. The increase, similar to the 2024 increase, would see China’s armed forces rapidly modernize as strategic competition with the United States intensifies. The increase is above the government's annual GDP growth target of about 5 percent.

A Chinese military spokesman described the increase as "limited, reasonable and sustainable," and said the additional funding would be used to develop "combat forces in new areas with new capabilities" as well as enhance reconnaissance, joint strike and battlefield support capabilities, according to AFP.

China's military spending has been rising for decades and has generally kept pace with its economic growth. China has the world's second-largest military budget, but it still lags far behind its main strategic rival, the United States. Beijing's 1.78 trillion yuan ($245.7 billion) budget for this year is still less than a third of Washington's.

China's military spending last year accounted for 1.6 percent of its GDP, far less than the United States or Russia, according to ISNA, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But China’s defense expansion has met with suspicion from Washington and other regional powers.

China has increasingly displayed its military might in the region, including in the South China Sea. China describes its military posture as defensive and aims to safeguard its sovereignty.

Wu, a spokesman for the Chinese military, said the country faces “one of the most complex neighborhood security situations in the world” and must confront “severe challenges” in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference on Friday that China’s control of Taiwan is “the common aspiration of all Chinese people, the general trend of the times and a just goal.”