The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will resolutely fight separatist forces aimed at Taiwan secession and oppose external interference, a military spokesperson said on Tuesday in Beijing.
Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Armed Police Force delegation to the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress, made these remarks on the sidelines of the session in response to Taiwan-related content in the draft Government Work Report.
"Reunification is the right course and an overriding historical trend, while Taiwan secession is a dead end that runs against the tide. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' attempt to seek Taiwan secession through military buildup and soliciting foreign support will only push Taiwan towards the peril of military conflict. They are the biggest perpetrators, the ones responsible for disrupting the cross-Strait status quo and the roots of all threats to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Zhang said.
"What people in Taiwan want most is to enjoy a peaceful life, but not to be tied to a chariot and end up being cannon fodder. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should join hands to oppose Taiwan secession and external interference, jointly build a bright future for national reunification, and share the pride of national rejuvenation," he said.
"We will strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is directed solely at the few Taiwan secessionists and their separatist activities and interference by external forces. Its purpose is to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The PLA will intensify training and combat readiness, enhance the capability to fight and win, resolutely thwart any attempts at secession or external interference, and firmly safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he said.
PLA to defeat attempts at Taiwan secession, external interference: spokesman
Highlighting the "Future Energy" as a key direction for China's strategic emerging industries, the country's nuclear energy development, guided by its three-step strategy, has seen major strides in the past year, said a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
In a recent press briefing, Xin Feng, also deputy general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), updated the media on the progresses China has achieved under the strategy.
"China's three-step strategy for nuclear energy development -- from the thermal reactor to the fast reactor and the fusion reactor -- was formulated in 1983 as a medium- and long-term plan. For the thermal reactor, over the past year, our 2.0 version of the Hualong One technology has been approved. This is a unified and fully self-owned intellectual property based third-generation nuclear power technology solution. And the Linglong One small modular reactor also successfully completed its cold-state functional test last year and is expected to be put into commercial operation this year," he said.
For the second and third steps, Chinese researchers and engineers have achieved milestones in the past year with the government support, Xin noted.
"Then for the fast reactor, last year, a closed-cycle system for an integral fast reactor successfully achieved preliminary standard design. We will continue to solve its engineering technology challenges. As for the fusion reactor, in 2025, with national support, we established the China Fusion Energy Company in Shanghai. And our Huanliu-3, a platform for conducting research and development of fusion technology, made a big stride, with an iron temperature in it achieving 117 million Celsius and an electron temperature reaching 160 million Celsius. We will continue to adhere to the development strategy and focus on technological research and engineering technology development," Xin said.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively.
The "two sessions" -- which refer to the annual meetings of China's supreme organ of state power, the National People's Congress (NPC), and its top political advisory body, the National Committee of the CPPCC -- are a key event on the country's political calendar and offer a window into the country's development direction.
China's nuclear energy development makes great strides with three-step strategy: CPPCC member
