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June 4 (UPI) -- China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu has accused the United States of "provocation" and warned of the "unbearable disaster" of war between the two nations. Gen. Li made his remarks in a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on the heels of a near collision of U.S. and Chinese warships in the Taiwan Strait, according to a news release from China's Defense Ministry.
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"China must be and will be reunified," Li said. "If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second. We will fear no opponents and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity regardless of any cost."
The Taiwan Strait separates mainland China and Taiwan, a self-governing republic claimed by China.
"They are not here for innocent passage, they are here for provocation," Li said of the U.S. warships.
Mainland China and the island of Taiwan, among other islands, were ruled by the Republic of China before the ROC lost the Chinese Civil War in the early 20th century to the Chinese Communist Party, which established the new government of the People's Republic of China in October 1949.
The ROC in turn established a temporary capital in Taipei on the island of Taiwan, a former Japanese territory, in December 1949 and served as the seat for China at the United Nations until it was replaced by the People's Republic of China in 1971 as foreign countries switched their diplomatic relations.
China views Taiwan and its 23 million residents as a wayward province and has vowed to retake it by force, if necessary. Many supporters of Taiwan have since argued that it is already an independent sovereign state separate from mainland China, which has never controlled Taiwan.
Last year, tensions between China and the United States over the Taiwan issue started to grow after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the wayward province sparking a military response from the Chinese government and increased drills in the waterway separating it from China.
"The right way for China and the U.S. to get along is following the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation," Li said.
In his speech, Li suggested that the United States is disrupting peace in the Asia-Pacific region -- noting the history of the U.S. in involving itself in proxy wars, creating chaos and walking away leaving a mess behind.
"People cannot but ask these questions: Who is disrupting peace in the region? What are the root causes of the chaos and instability? And what should we stay vigilant about and guard against?" said Li.
He added that the world "must never forget" the global damage inflicted by World War I, World War II and the Cold War between the United States and Russia.
His speech came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rebuked China for not taking crisis management between the two countries "seriously."
Austin, also speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, urged Beijing to continue to engage in security talks with Washington to avoid any unintended clashes.
"I am deeply concerned that the [China] has been unwilling to engage more seriously on better mechanisms for crisis management between our two militaries," Austin said.
"The United States does not seek a new Cold War. And competition must not spill over into conflict."
In January, a four-star general predicted that the two nations could be at war as early as 2025.
"I hope I am wrong," Gen. Michael A. Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command, said in a memo addressed to all air wing commanders and other operational commanders in the Air Force. "My gut tells me we will fight in 2025."
