China FM: Taiwan, foreign supporters ‘playing with fire’
Associated PressBEIJING — China’s foreign minister warned Taiwan and its supporters on Friday that they are “playing with fire” if they go against Beijing’s demand to exert control over the self-governing island democracy. Countries from South Korea to Germany have recently spoken out against China’s threats against Taiwan, underscoring a war of words that teeters on the edge of outright conflict with recent Chinese military exercises surrounding Taiwan and the strengthening of U.S. alliances in Asia aimed at responding to Beijing’s increased military presence. Earlier in April, China held large-scale air and sea drills in the areas surrounding Taiwan in retaliation for Tsai’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 5 in California. At a daily briefing Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin criticized recent comments by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol opposing any changes in the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.