Beijing will 'smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot' and will 'definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost'

 China threatens Defense Secretary with WAR: Minister tells Lloyd Austin that Beijing will 'smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot' and will 'definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost'

• Def Sec Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart who said China was prepared to 'go to war' in order to keep Taiwan from becoming independent
• Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe met for the first time face-to-face on Friday amid the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
• 'If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,' the Chinese Defense Sec stated 
• Austin shared his concerns about China's recent behavior and military activity around the self-governing island
• Austin noted a 'steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan,' including almost daily military flights near the island by the PRC'

• China has said it is prepared to go to war in order to defend its right to keep Taiwan from becoming an independent state.  

  China will 'smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland' Chinese Defense Minister Fenghe told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Friday.

  'If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost', Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian quoted the Fenghe as saying during the meeting, in what is a escalating of tension, not least of which in the type of language being used.   

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