The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) will not hesitate to take military action if Taiwan secedes from the PRC, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Friday.

“If someone dares to split Taiwan from our country, the PLA will not hesitate to start a war,” China Central Television quotes Wu Qian, who spoke to reporters after a meeting between the head of the Chinese Defense Ministry, Wei Fenghe, and his American counterpart. Lloyd Austin in Singapore. “We will firmly defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.”

As the official spokesman clarified, Beijing will not change its position on the issue. At the same time, he noted that the Chinese authorities are against the fact that Sino-American relations “are considered exclusively in the plane of competition.”

“We need to respect each other, coexist peacefully, build mutually beneficial cooperation relations,” said Wu Qian.