China loudly criticizes the US at the Shangri-La forum

"If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will have no choice but to fight at all costs," Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on June 2 at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. China considers Taiwan part of its territory that must be reunited, even by force. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but provides the island with the ability to defend itself.

Mr Wei said China “will not lose an inch of land” and will not take land from others. The Chinese military is purely for self-defence purposes but will not hesitate to counter attack on its interests. “China will not attack unless we are attacked,” he said.

"Regarding the trade tensions initiated by the US, if the US wants to negotiate, we will leave the door open. But if they want to fight, we will fight to the end," said the Chinese Defense Minister. The US and China have imposed tit-for-tat tariffs. The US has ordered a "ban" on the telecommunications group Huawei in the Chinese market, and Beijing is planning to blacklist several foreign companies in retaliation.

Mr. Wei assessed that the situation in the East Sea is generally stable and positive, but "some countries outside the region" come to the East Sea to "show off their strength in the name of freedom of navigation." He added that Beijing is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the region and "will never pursue hegemony."

The US Navy has conducted regular freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea over the past two years to challenge China's excessive sovereignty claims, after the country unilaterally declared sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and illegally built artificial islands. In a speech yesterday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan warned that Washington would not tolerate China's actions "threatening the sovereignty of countries" in Asia.

China's defence minister said the country was building "limited defence" structures on its artificial islands because of "threats from heavily armed warships and military aircraft".

On May 29, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said that at the end of President Barack Obama's term, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised not to militarize the artificial islands that China illegally built in the East Sea. General Dunford said that China "clearly did not fulfill its commitment" and listed the runways, ammunition depots and weapons that Beijing has deployed to these artificial islands.

While many are concerned about the risk of conflict in the Asia-Pacific, Mr. Wei said: "Both the US and China understand that conflict or war will bring disaster to both countries."

After his speech, Wei Fenghe referred to the Chinese government's crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. "It was a political turmoil and the central government took measures to end the chaos. It was the right policy," the Chinese defense minister said. Thanks to Beijing's actions, he said, "China has enjoyed stability and development."

US-China relations took centre stage at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which this year marked the first time China has sent a defence minister in eight years. Wei Fenghe met with Patrick Shanahan on the sidelines of the forum on May 31 to discuss ways to build military-to-military ties, reduce the risk of misunderstandings and miscalculations between the two countries, and discuss the prospects for better cooperation in enforcing sanctions on North Korea.

The Shangri-La Dialogue 2019, which took place from May 31 to June 2, is an intergovernmental security forum organized annually in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), attended by defense ministers and top military officials from Asia-Pacific countries. The event aims to discuss pressing security issues in the region or strengthen defense relations between countries.