China army says will tighten noose around Taiwan if separatism escalates

BEIJING - China’s military vowed on March 9 that it would tighten its “noose” around Taiwan if separatism on the island escalated, warning independence proponents to step back from the “precipice”.

Beijing considers the democratically ruled island of Taiwan to be part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to claim it.

China has increased pressure on Taiwan’s authorities in recent years with military drills and frequent dispatches of fighter jets and naval vessels around the island.

“The more rampant ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists become, the tighter the noose around their necks and the sharper the sword hanging over their heads will be,” army spokesman Wu Qian said in an interview published by state broadcaster CCTV.

“The PLA is a force of action in countering separatism and promoting reunification,” said Mr Wu, using an acronym for China’s military.

“You’ve ridden your steed to a precipice of a cliff, but behind you lies land – if you persist in taking the wrong course, you will meet a dead end,” he warned.

The comments, made during China’s “Two Sessions” annual political gathering, came days after Beijing announced a 7.2 per cent increase to its defence budget in 2025.

The increase, the same percentage as in 2024, will drive the rapid modernisation of China’s armed forces as strategic competition with the United States intensifies.

It is above the government’s annual GDP growth target of around 5 per cent.

Calling the increase “limited... reasonable and stable”, Mr Wu said the extra cash would be used to develop “combat forces in new fields and with new qualities”, and to enhance reconnaissance, joint strike and battlefield support capabilities.

Second to the US

China’s military spending has been on the rise for decades, broadly in line with economic growth.

The country has the world’s