BEJING, Dec 28 The reunification of mainland China and Taiwan is historical inevitability, the inhabitants of the island should not serve as «cannon fodder» in the hands of the separatist forces, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Wednesday.
Taiwan Chief Executive Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday announced the extension of mandatory military service on the island from 4 months to a year from January 1, 2024, amid military exercises conducted by the Chinese army near the island, the Central News Agency of the island reported earlier.
«Full reunification of the motherland is a common aspiration of all Chinese people and a historical inevitability,» the diplomat said, commenting on the extension of military service in Taiwan.
«We are sure that the Taiwanese compatriots deeply understand this and will not serve as cannon fodder in the hands of the separatist forces,» Wang Wenbin added.
The situation around Taiwan escalated significantly after the visit to the island in early August of the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. China, which considers the island one of its provinces, condemned Pelosi's visit, seeing in this move US support for Taiwanese separatism, and held large-scale military exercises.