China renews threat against Taiwan

A Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet

China renewed its threats Wednesday to attack Taiwan and warned that foreign politicians who interact with the self-governing island are "playing with fire".

A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the country was recommitted in the new year to "safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "smashing plots for Taiwan independence" on the self-governing democracy that separated from mainland China in 1949.

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"The malicious support for Taiwan independence among anti-China elements in a few foreign countries are a deliberate provocation," Ma Xiaoguang said at a biweekly news conference. China views Taiwan as a Chinese territory that must be brought under Beijing's control, by force if necessary.

A string of visits in recent months by foreign politicians to Taiwan, including by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and numerous politicians from the European Union, spurred displays of military might from both sides.

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