A Beijing official warned on Wednesday that China will take drastic measures if Taiwan makes a move towards independence. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and for this reason, it has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty claim. Thus fueling anger in Taipei and concern internationally.
During a media briefing, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office said, “China was willing to try its utmost to seek peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but would act if any red lines on independence were crossed”.
Taiwan has emerged as a key factor in strained relations between Taiwan and United States. Contrarily, China regularly describes the island as the most sensitive issue in its ties with the United States.
Earlier in November, China warned Taiwanese firms against supporting the island’s independence. Many analysts believe that the move could ratchet economic pressure on Taiwanese companies that are operating in China and local mainland firms that invest in them. In recent months, Beijing has sent repeated air missions over Taiwan Strait to pressure Taiwan.