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China vows to ‘fight to the end’ to prevent Taiwan’s independence
China’s defence minister says any attempt to secede Taiwan from Beijing will trigger military action.
(Al Jazeera) China has vowed to “fight to the very end” to stop Taiwanese independence and warned that foreign interference in Taiwan is “doomed to fail”, stoking already soaring tensions with the United States over the self-ruled island.
“If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, we will … fight at all costs and we will fight to the very end. This is the only choice for China,” Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit on Sunday.
In a fiery response to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, who spoke on Saturday, Wei said: “No one should ever underestimate the resolve and ability of the Chinese armed forces to safeguard its territorial integrity”.The superpowers are locked in a growing war of words over the self-ruled, democratic island, which Beijing views as part of its territory awaiting reunification.
In a veiled swipe at Washington, Wei said “some country keeps playing the Taiwan card against China” to “interfere in internal affairs”.
“No one can stop China’s path to reunification,” he added.
Austin on Saturday had accused Beijing of “provocative and destabilising” military activity in a speech to the Dialogue and said the US will stand by its allies and partners in the Asia Pacific.Speaking on Sunday, Wei said it was up to the US to improve the relationship, as ties were at a critical juncture.Repeating several times that China sought peace and stability and was not an aggressor, he said the US should “stop smearing and containing China. Stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.
“The bilateral relationship cannot improve unless the US side can do that,” Wei, dressed in his military uniform, told delegates.
He struck a more conciliatory tone, calling for a “stable” China-US relationship, which he said was “vital for global peace”.Wei and Austin held their first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the summit in Singapore on Friday.Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington, reporting from the summit, said Wei made a point of contrasting the US approach to Beijing’s.
“He characterised Beijing’s approach as one that is inclusive, that is supportive to helping the region develop… versus the way he characterised Washington as a meddling, unhelpful partner,” she said.
Tensions over Taiwan have escalated in particular due to increasing Chinese military aircraft incursions into the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).US President Joe Biden, during a visit to Japan last month, appeared to break decades of US policy when, in response to a question, he said Washington would defend Taiwan militarily if it was attacked by China.The White House has since insisted its policy of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it would intervene had not changed.
China’s expansive claims to the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, have stoked tensions with rival claimants, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.China has also been accused of flying its planes and sailing its boats close to the coastlines of rival claimants in South China Sea and East China Sea, and of intercepting patrol planes in international airspace in a dangerous fashion.Beijing’s claims to economic rights across large swaths of the South China Sea were rejected in a landmark Hague ruling in 2016.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, South Korean defence minister Lee Jong-sup said Seoul would boost its defence capabilities and work with the US in face of the threat from China.Meanwhile, Japan warned against China’s attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China Sea and said the peace and security of the Taiwan Strait were important not only to Japan but to the international community.Japanese defence minister Nobuo Kishi met on Sunday with Wei at the security summit and said he agreed with his Chinese counterpart to promote dialogue and exchanges.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Iran has sought the Indian intervention, at the highest level, to provide lifesaving support to the crews of empty Iranian vessels stranded just outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical mile territorial waters off Galle.
Sources familiar with the issue said that Iran had brought the developing situation to the attention of New Delhi as the crews of almost 20 vessels, included Indian nationals. Sources stressed that the group of vessels that unloaded crude oil a couple of months back were now stranded within Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The US Navy torpedoed an unarmed Iran frigate, returning from India, on 04 March, 2026, about 19 nautical miles off the Galle coast. The unprovoked attack killed nearly 100 Iranians.
The Iranian Embassy in Colombo has inquired from the Indian High Commission of their response to the situation, sources said. The US has issued a global warning against providing food, water, medicine and other services to the Iranian vessels. The outcome of Iran-India talks on the issue at hand was not known, though sources asserted India may not throw its weight behind Iranian efforts to address the issue.
Responding to The Island queries, sources said both Sri Lanka and India were in a dilemma due to the US warning. India couldn’t ignore the plight of the Indian crew members and the Iranian vessels in its backyard.
The Sri Lankan government remains tight-lipped about the vessels stranded in its EEZ. Our efforts to elicit a response from relevant authorities were in vain. In addition to Indians, there are Bangladeshis among the crew members. Iran has explicitly stated the responsibilities of the countries concerned to provide assistance in terms of international law.
The Iranian position was articulated by its Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr.Alireza Delkhosh, recently. In a special statement, Ambassador Delkhosh emphasised that in terms of the Convention on the Law of the Sea (Article 98) as well as SOLAS and SAR
Conventions, Sri Lanka couldn’t refrain from providing the needs of the Iranian vessels stranded in its EEZ.
SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem lambasted the NPP government in Parliament for failing to provide assistance to the Iranian ships. The former Minister alleged that the government was simply carrying out dictates of the US. He strongly criticised the way Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath was handling the issue.
MP Namal Rajapaksa, who is in remand custody over the controversial Airbus deal, was further remanded until October 27 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday (13).
Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama made the order after considering submissions by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and lawyers representing Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to sustain its recovery over the next two years, although growth is projected to moderate amid mounting global uncertainties, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook.
In its World Economic Outlook 2026: Resilience Under Strain, Urgent Choices, the IMF projects Sri Lanka’s economy to expand by 4% in 2026, slowing to 3.7% in 2027, following estimated growth of 5% in 2025.
Inflation, meanwhile, is forecast to rise to 5.3% in 2026 and 5.4% in 2027, reversing the average deflation rate of 0.5% recorded in 2025.
Unemployment is expected to remain steady at 3.9% throughout the forecast period.
The projections come amid growing pressure on the global economy from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, elevated energy prices, geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions.
Sri Lanka’s external position is also expected to weaken, with the current account balance projected to shift from a surplus of 1.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 to deficits of 0.5% in 2026 and 0.3% in 2027.
The IMF’s outlook points to continued economic expansion in Sri Lanka, but with slower growth, rising inflation and a narrowing external surplus giving way to current account deficits over the forecast period.
Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
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