China will "fight to the very end" to stop Taiwanese independence, the country's defence minister vowed Sunday, stoking already soaring tensions with the United States over the island. "We will fight at all cost, and we will fight to the very end," he said. "Those who pursue Taiwanese independence in an attempt to split China will definitely come to no good end," he added. Wei urged Washington to "stop smearing and containing China... stop interfering in China's internal affairs and stop harming China's interests". The United States and China have also been at loggerheads over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Washington accusing Beijing of providing tacit support for Moscow.

Source: The Standard June 12, 2022 10:28 UTC