Zhang Xiaogang Photo:mod.gov.cn

When asked to comment on claims made by head of the US Indo-Pacific Command that the Chinese side was conducting comprehensive exercises in preparation for recovering Taiwan and was increasingly active in other regions of the Pacific, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said on Thursday that for the cross-Straits situation, there is no factor more destabilizing than the provocations made by the "Taiwan independence" separatists and the disruptions by foreign forces.

Zhang said that Taiwan is part of China. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, which brooks no external interference.

It's legitimate, necessary, lawful and justified for the Chinese side to take actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the US side to stop fanning the flames on the Taiwan question. Such behaviors would only backfire, Zhang added.

Global Times