China warns West against ‘fuelling fire' by drawing parallel between Ukraine and Taiwan

China's new foreign minister, Qin Gang, on Monday warned foreign nations against "fuelling the fire" over the ongoing Ukraine and Russia conflict. Beijing is “deeply worried” that the conflict could spiral out of control, foreign minister Gang said in context to the US and the ally nations stepping up the weapons supply for Kyiv's armed forces. China's Foreign Minister urged foreign countries to quit drawing parallels between the self-administered island of Taiwan with Ukraine. 

“China is deeply worried about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and it possibly spiraling out of control,” Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at a press conference, where officials unveiled China's President Xi Jinping’s new “Global Security Initiative.”

“We urge certain countries to immediately stop fueling the fire, stop shifting blame to China, and stop touting ‘Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow,’" Qin asserted. 

Foreign nations ‘playing with fire’

China considers Taiwan as its own breakaway sovereign territory, but the de facto island backed by the US seeks more recognition on the global stage. Last month, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office issued stark warnings to what he said the "anti-China elements" in foreign countries of ‘playing with fire’ by pressing on Taiwan's sovereignty posture. Beijing, threatened a Chinese diplomat, is committed to “safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “smashing plots for Taiwan independence”.

At the Munich Security Conference, when questioned whether China would resort to taking Taiwan with coercion and military force in the style of Ukraine; and if he can give reassures the audience that there would be no attack on Taiwan, Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, said that China was opposed to pro-democracy elements. Yi indicated that any attempts of splitting Taiwan from China would hinge the peace on the island “It was never a country and it will absolutely not be a country as well,” Wang in context to Taiwan. “That is the true reality of the Taiwan issue.”

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at the Munich format, had warned that the Ukriane-like scenario might unfold on the Asian continent, linking Russia’s war in Ukraine to China's Taiwan quest. Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference that “What is happening in Europe today, could happen in east Asia tomorrow.”