China's defence ministry urged the US “not to play with fire” and stop “risky provocations” in response to reports of the US landing a military transport plane in Taiwan on July 15.

Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian said in a July 15 statement that the island is a “sacred and inseparable part” of Chinese territory, and the Chinese military was closely monitoring the situation.

Any foreign military plane landing on Chinese territory must receive approval from Beijing, Wu said.

“Any violation of our airspace by foreign ships and planes will lead to serious consequences,” he said, asking the US to “stop sending the wrong signals to Taiwan separatist forces and avoid escalating tension in the Taiwan Straits”.

Wu warned the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) not to misjudge the situation and invite trouble by taking risks and colluding with foreign forces for its “secessionist agenda”.

“This will only push Taiwan into a perilous situation,” he said. “China must and will inevitably be united.”

Separately, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council expressed strong opposition against military contacts of any form between Taiwan and the US.

The DPP authority will bring disaster to the people of Taiwan if it continues working with foreign forces to seek “Taiwan independence” and resist “reunification”, Zhu Fenglian said.

CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK