In remarks aimed at the United States, he accused “external interfering forces” of hollowing out the One China principle, emboldening “separatist” forces within Taiwan pushing for independence, eroding peaceful “reunification” efforts, and pursuing “illegal” contacts with the self-governed island.
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“They keep testing China’s red lines. For example, the red line about official engagement with Taiwan and then arms sales to Taiwan. They’re selling a lot of weapons,” Dong said during the question and answer session.
His comments come two weeks after the inauguration of Taiwanese President William Lai, who Beijing despises for his advocacy of Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic rights, viewing him as a “separatist” even though Lai has committed to maintaining the status quo and not pursuing formal independence.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, even though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the island.
China’s increasing aggression towards Taiwan and its hostility towards the Philippines in the South China Sea have been key themes of the three-day summit, where the intensifying strategic rivalry between China and the US, and the prospect of this boiling over to a hot war, has been the underlying focus of the talks.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles used his speech to the summit on Saturday to call out China’s recent military drills around Taiwan and its ramming and water cannoning of Philippine vessels as a threat to global stability.
In face-to-face talks with Dong on the sidelines of the summit, Marles directly raised concerns about the dangerous tactics used by PLA in recent confrontations with the Australian navy, including last month’s incident involving a Chinese fighter jet releasing flares in the path of a navy helicopter.
On Sunday, Dong also used the platform to take a swipe at US support for the Philippines – and at Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has stridently condemned China’s aggression within Philippine waters while boosting defence ties with the US since taking office in 2022.
“China has recognised great restraint in the face of such infringements and provocations,” he said. “But there is a limit to our restraint.”
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Marcos made clear his country’s own red lines at the forum, saying Chinese actions in the South China Sea that killed a Philippines citizen would be “very, very close” to an act of war, a view that, if shared by its key defence partner, would trigger US obligations under the countries’ mutual defence treaty.
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