Chinese defense minister warns against playing with fire over Taiwan question

Attempts to play with fire on the Taiwan question or use the Taiwan question to contain China are doomed to fail, said Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Li Shangfu on Tuesday.

Li made the remarks when delivering a speech at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security in the town of Kubinka, Moscow, Russia.

He also stressed that the Taiwan question is a matter of China's internal affairs and allows no external interference, adding that "China's reunification is a historical trend."

The Chinese defense minister also highlighted Global Security Initiative, which he said advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and aims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum.

The Global Security Initiative carries the aspiration of world peace, the wish for harmonious coexistence and the pursuit of common development, Li said.

Li said China looks forward to working with other countries to implement the Global Security Initiative and to inject more certainty and positive energy into a world of turmoil and transformation

He reiterated that China's military is a staunch force for world peace and stability, saying it is ready to work with the militaries of all countries to continuously strengthen mutual trust in military security strategies and practical cooperation in various specialized fields, to build a common platform for security cooperation, and to make new and greater contributions to the maintenance of global security.

During the meeting, Li held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, exchanging views on the relationship and cooperation between the two militaries, and also held bilateral meetings with leaders of the defense departments and militaries of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and other countries.

（CGTN）