China vows military action if Taiwan, sea claims opposed

SINGAPORE – China’s defense minister is warning its military will “resolutely take action” to defend Beijing’s claims over self-ruled Taiwan and disputed South China Sea waters.

Speaking at an annual security conference in Singapore on Sunday, Wei Fenghe says: “Should anybody risk crossing the bottom line, the PLA will resolutely take action and defeat all enemies.”

Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe salutes attendees ahead of the fourth plenary session of the 18th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defense and security forum in Asia, in Singapore, Sunday, June 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

The PLA stands for the People’s Liberation Army.

He defended China’s right to build “limited defense facilities” in the contested South China Sea, where its sweeping claims are challenged by several smaller neighbors.

On Saturday, U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told the same gathering that China’s efforts to militarize man-made outposts in the South China Sea are a “toolkit of coercion,” saying activities by Beijing the U.S. perceives as hostile must end. /gg