China Threatens Action After Taiwan President’s Bold Speeches

BEIJING, CHINA — Things are getting really tense between China and Taiwan again. This week, China’s big army, called the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), warned that they’re ready to fight if Taiwan keeps saying it wants to be its own country.

Why Is China Upset?

At a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said:

“The Chinese army will not allow Taiwan to break away. We’re ready to fight if needed.”

Zhang was reacting to 10 speeches given by Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who said:

“Taiwan is of course a country.”

That made China really mad. They believe Taiwan belongs to them, and any talk about being a separate country is a big threat to China’s power.

China Calls Taiwan’s Leader a “Troublemaker”

China doesn’t like President Lai at all. They called him a separatist, which means someone who wants to break away. They also said:

Lai is pushing Taiwan closer to war
He is hurting the people of Taiwan
His speeches show he has bad intentions

But Taiwan says:
“Hey! We are our own country. Only the people of Taiwan should decide what happens to us — not China.”

What’s the Big Fight About?

China and Taiwan have been arguing for years. China says Taiwan is part of its land. But Taiwan runs its own government and holds elections, just like any other country.

Now, because of this fight:

China sends airplanes and warships near Taiwan almost every day.
China has held war games around Taiwan — like practice battles — in April and October.
Experts say China could be practicing a blockade, which means cutting Taiwan off from the outside world.

Is a War Coming?

No one knows for sure — but the U.S. and other countries are watching very closely. Some leaders are worried China may try to attack Taiwan for real in the future. They’ve noticed: