The defence chiefs of China and the United States held face-to-face talks for the first time on Friday, with both sides standing firm on their opposing views over Taiwan's right to rule itself, Reuters reported.
Issuing a stun warning to neighbouring Taiwan, China today said that Beijing will "not hesitate to start a war" if Taiwan declares independence, AFP reported.
The warning was issued by China's defence minister during the first face-to-face talks with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Singapore.
"If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost," Wu Qian quoted defence minister Wei Fenghe as saying during a meeting with Lloyd Austin.
"Taiwan is China's Taiwan... Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail", the ministry said.
Responding to this, Austin told his Chinese counterpart that Beijing must "refrain from further destabilising actions toward Taiwan", the US Department of Defense said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
The Shangri-La Dialogue, a forum for the world's top military officials, diplomats and weapons firms, is being held in the southeast Asian city-state between June 10 and 12.
(with agency inputs)
