China repeated calls for the U.S. to cut off military ties with Taiwan following reports that U.S. Marines have been helping the island strengthen its defenses against a potential Chinese invasion, The Washington Post reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked Friday about the reports, the Post said.
"China will take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhao, who added that the U.S. should recognize the "high sensitivity" of the issue and stop military contact with Taiwan.
The Chinese Communists claim the island as part of its sovereign territory. Mainland officials have threatened to take control by force if Taiwan’s government formally declares independence.
Taiwan, however, considers itself a separate country — with 24 million people — and shows no interest in submitting to Chinese Communist Party rule.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that a special operations unit and a contingent of U.S. Marines have been operating secretly in Taiwan for more than a year to train military forces.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen did not address the matter during a speech Friday at the Yushan military forum in Taipei. She did say that developments in the Indo-Pacific were creating new tensions that "could have a devastating effect on international security and the global economy if they are not handled carefully."
The report of U.S. troops in Taiwan could create tension as the U.S. and its allies counter China's efforts to gain a military advantage in the region.
The Post reported that it appeared Chinese censors were patrolling social media where the subject of Taiwan was muted on Friday.
The relative silence about Taiwan on China's Twitter-like service Weibo contrasted with a great deal of commentary about news of damage to a U.S. nuclear-powered Navy submarine that collided with an object in the South China Sea, the Post said.
The few posts about Taiwan on Weibo included one asking why China "was not striking back?" and another calling for Taiwan to be "liberated" immediately by the communists.
The editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed Global Times jeered Washington for sending 24 soldiers without fanfare, instead of openly setting up a base. "Roll the dice," Hu Xijin said. "See whose willpower is ultimately stronger when it comes to the Taiwan issue."
China displayed a new intensity and military sophistication this week by flying nearly 150 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone.
Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that military tensions across the Taiwan Strait were at their most serious in more than 40 years.
"By 2025, China will bring the cost and attrition to its lowest. It has the capacity now, but it will not start a war easily, having to take many other things into consideration," he said, the Post reported.
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