Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense

China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) sent out a stern warning on Thursday to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the island of Taiwan saying that "we will come and get you, sooner or later." 

In response to Taiwan's Exercise Han Kuang 41, which would considerably increase the duration of its live-fire phase and mobilize as many as 3,000 reserve troops as prodded by the US, Wu Qian, spokesperson of the MND, told at a press conference on Thursday that the DPP authorities have an illusion of "soliciting US support for independence" and "resisting unification by force." 

The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, which brooks no external interference, Wu said. "The US wants to contain China with Taiwan and connives at risky and provocative activities of the DPP authorities for 'Taiwan independence.' This strategy will ultimately backfire." 

"It is a serious miscalculation of the situation, the public opinion and the comparison of strength. Overreaching itself in such a way is extremely dangerous. We warn the DPP authorities that holding back the tide with a broom will only end up in self-destruction. We will come and get you, sooner or later," Wu said. 

While the DPP authorities still holding such illusion of relying on the US in resisting unification by force, US President Donald Trump refused to comment on Wednesday when asked by a reporter on whether "the US would allow China to take control of Taiwan by force." Instead, he responded by expressing his desire for Chinese investment in the US, Reuters reported. 

"I never comment on that," Trump said at the White House. "I don't want to ever put myself in that position," Trump said when asked about Taiwan. 

"We want them to come in and invest. I see so many things saying that we don't want China in this country. That's not right. We want them to invest in the US. That's good. There's a lot of money coming in and we'll invest in China. We'll do things with China. The relationship we'll have with China would be a very good one," Trump said. 

For Trump, the immediate priority is to offload the burdens that drag down the internal systems of the US, and external responsibilities and expenses clearly do not align with Trump's policy tendencies, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Growing anxiety 

Some local media outlets in Taiwan noted on Thursday that this was not the first time Trump had declined to make a commitment to the island. 

In an article published by CNA on Thursday, it was noted in its headline that Trump refused to make a commitment to the island again. 

The CNA report cited an interview of Trump with NBC's Meet the Press in December 2024, when Trump declined to make a commitment, in response to the host's question regarding defending the island.

Taiwan local media FTV News also published an article on Thursday, saying Trump refused again to make commitment to Taiwan.

Citing articles from The New York Times, Taiwan's UDN News published an article on Thursday titled "Trump abandons Ukraine, doubts about US support deepened in Taiwan."

"The anxiety emerging within the island is a natural reaction, indicating that some forces on the island are beginning to realize that blindly clinging to the US may ultimately lead to being discarded," Li said. 

Some forces on the island, determined to rely on the US, believe that America can provide Taiwan with security guarantees, Li said, noting that however, this reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the essence of US foreign policy.

Also on Thursday, when asked to comment on Taiwan's "defense ministry" claiming to have detected 45 Chinese mainland aircraft and 14 warships near the island today, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian answered by saying, "There is no so-called 'department of defense' in Taiwan. And this is not a question related to foreign affairs."

In response to media reports that the Trump administration has released $5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including $870 million designated for military assistance to Taiwan, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday's press briefing that China has all along opposed US military assistance to China's Taiwan region, which has severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, undermined China's sovereignty and security interests, and sent a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. 

"We urge the US to stop arming Taiwan and undermining the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. China will closely follow the situation and firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," Lin said. 

"'Protection fees' won't protect 'Taiwan independence' forces, and the 'chess pieces' will inevitably turn into 'abandoned pieces,'" said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, during a press conference on Wednesday. 

Her remarks came in response to reports that the secessionist DPP authorities on Taiwan island are contemplating arms purchases from the US, ranging from $7 billion to $10 billion, in an effort to gain favor with the Trump administration.