China cannot pledge to abstain from using force against separatists on Taiwan, says envoy

China reserves the right to take all necessary measures to ensure its national security and territorial integrity, and makes no promises to abstain from using force against separatists on Taiwan, Liu Xiaoming, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs, said in an interview with TASS.

"Protecting the principle of ‘One China’ and ‘one country’ is a starting condition and the foundation upon which everything else rests. A peaceful reconciliation is very important but, still, we reserve the right to take all possible measures to protect our country’s security and territorial integrity. In particular, we have never promised not to use force. Had we made such a promise, a peaceful reunification would have become absolutely impossible," he pointed out.

"However, this position of ours is not directed against our Taiwanese compatriots; it is separatists on Taiwan and other external forces seeking to divide our country that it is [directed] against," the Chinese special envoy explained.

When asked about the likelihood of a military conflict around Taiwan breaking out this year, Liu noted that, in his view, "it’s better to tell all countries around the world about the need to respect and adhere to the One China principle."

"The One China principle is the key to stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait. As long as the principle is respected, peace and stability will be ensured in the Taiwan Strait, as well as peaceful development on both shores. Otherwise, the Taiwan Strait would plunge into instability. We can also see that it was the visits made by [former US House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the head of the Taiwanese administration that gave rise to this instability," the Chinese envoy emphasized.[TASS]