Ahead of Trump summit, China says it is ready to ‘crush’ any Taiwan independence bid

The issue of democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, is certain to be discussed during two days of meetings this week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The island is a “sovereign, independent nation” and beacon of democracy that would not bow to pressure, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday.

However, Taiwan is a part of China that has never been, and would never be, a country, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office told a weekly news briefing in Beijing.

“No matter how many times Lai Ching-te repeats his lies, even a thousand times, they remain lies, and they will never become the truth,” said the spokesperson, Zhang Han.

“Our resolve to oppose Taiwan independence is as firm as a rock, and our capability to crush Taiwan independence is unbreakable.”

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, but says its preferred option is “peaceful reunification”.

The U.S. is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties. In December, the Trump administration announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, the largest ever.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence Fernandez)