‘Taiwan belongs to China’, defense minister tells SCO summit

ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s Defense Minister has reiterated Beijing’s position that Taiwan belongs to its mainland territory.

Addressing the participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said: “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan, and the Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair.”

Hailing support from 170 nations over China’s claim to Taiwan, the minister said China “strongly opposed, severely condemned, and resolutely countered” the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan early this month.

China considers Taiwan as its “breakaway province” while Taipei insists on its independence since 1949.

“China’s position has been widely understood and supported by more than 170 countries and international organizations in the world, which China appreciates,” a statement by China’s Defense Ministry quoted Wei.

The SCO held its 19th defense ministers’ meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Wednesday in which Wei virtually addressed the participants.

He said the global security initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping “provides a correct solution for addressing international security challenges.”

“China is willing to work with other countries to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and world peace and tranquility,” Wei said.

The Chinese defense minister lauded the SCO, saying it has “become a model of harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation among countries with different civilizations and systems, and has embarked on a successful path for a new type of regional organization.”

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry declared that four Chinese naval vessels and 13 aircraft had surrounded the self-ruled island on Wednesday while two of the Chinese aircraft crossed the median line and air defense identification zone across the Taiwan Strait.