Reporter: It is reported that the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has recently organized joint war-preparedness alert patrol and combat training exercises involving troops of multiple services and arms in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan Island. Some analysts believe that this is a stern warning against the recent US-Taiwan collusion activities. What is your comment on that?

Defense Ministry Spokesperson Tan Kefei: We firmly oppose official exchanges and military ties in any form between the United States and China’s Taiwan region. Seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ leads nowhere but to a dead end, and so does supporting ‘Taiwan independence’. The U.S. side has repeatedly made explicit commitments that it sticks to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence". However, for a period of time, the U.S. side has intensified its efforts to play the "Taiwan card" with the attempt to use it to contain China, which will inevitably put the situation in jeopardy.

Taiwan is a part of China and the Taiwan question brooks no external interference. The PLA Eastern Theater Command has recently organized joint war-preparedness alert patrol and combat training exercises involving troops of multiple services and arms in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan Island, and these are necessary actions taken targeting the US-Taiwan collusion and conforming to the need of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The PLA is on high alert and ready to take all necessary measures to resolutely thwart any external forces' interference and secessionist attempts for "Taiwan independence".