China says war with US would be a disaster amid escalating tensions in South China Sea

Defence minister says country would ‘fight to the end’ if attacked

A US sailor inspects a FA-18 hornet fighter jet during a routine training in the South China Sea. The US has stepped up its naval patrols in the region in recent months. (TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)

China has said that a war with the US would be a “disaster” as tensions grow over Beijing’s ambitions to assert control in the South China Sea and an escalating trade war between the two countries.

It comes after the US has stepped up naval patrols through the Taiwan Strait and past Chinese military outposts in recent months.

However, China’s defence minister, Wei Fenghe, has insisted that both sides "realise that conflict, or a war between them, would bring disaster to both countries and the world.”

Speaking at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier defence summit, he added: “China will not attack unless we are attacked.”

He added that his country would “fight to the end” if the United States wanted a fight. But if Washington wanted to talk, “we will keep the door open”.

However, he warned that China would “fight to the end” if anyone tried to split his country from Taiwan.

“No attempts to split China will succeed. Any interference in the Taiwan question is doomed to failure,” he said. “If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs... The US is indivisible, and so is China. China must be, and will be, reunified.”

Taiwan is still viewed as a “wayward province” by China, and is not recognised as a country by the United Nations or most of its member states.

Established in 1949 by refugees from the new communist regime in mainland China, Taiwan has its own constitution, armed forces, currency, parliament and president.

Demands for independence have intensified since Tsai Ing-wen, who China believe has a separatist agenda, was elected as president in 2016.

The US has no formal ties with Taiwan, but is its strongest backer and main source of weapons.

Patrick Shanahan, the acting US defence secretary, also spoke at the summit. He warned that the US would no longer “tiptoe” around China’s aggressive posturing in Asia.

Amid increasing tensions over Beijing’s ambitions in the South China Sea, the two countries are also locked in an escalating trade war.

This has sharpened in recent months since the Trump administration accused China attempting to renege on promises it had made in trade negotiations between the countries.

The US subsequently ramped up tariffs on about $200bn of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate by raising tariffs on $60bn of American goods.

Speaking at a conference in Beijing, China’s vice commerce minister Wang Shouwen said it was irresponsible of the US to accuse China of backtracking on promises it had made in trade negotiations.

“If the US side wants to use extreme pressure, to escalate the trade friction, to force China to submit and make concessions, this is absolutely impossible,” he said.