* Chinese defence minister warns U.S. on Asia security
* Interference on Taiwan "doomed to failure"
* Taiwan condemns Wei's remarks, says won't bow to Beijing
* Wei says war with U.S. would be a disaster
* Minister defends Tiananmen crackdown 30 years on
By Lee Chyen Yee
SINGAPORE, June 2 (Reuters) - China and the United States
clashed again this weekend on trade and security, accusing each
other of destabilising the region and potentially the world.
Speaking on Sunday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore,
Asia's premier defence summit, China's Defence Minister Wei
Fenghe warned the United States not to meddle in security
disputes over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
On Saturday, acting U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan
told the meeting that the United States would no longer "tiptoe"
around Chinese behaviour in Asia.
"Perhaps the greatest long-term threat to the vital
interests of states across this region comes from actors who
seek to undermine, rather than uphold, the rules-based
international order," Shanahan said.
It was the latest exchange of acerbic comments between the
two sides as their ties come under increasing strain due to a
bitter trade war, U.S. support for Taiwan and China's muscular
military posture in the South China Sea, where the United States
also conducts freedom-of-navigation patrols.
China has been particularly incensed by recent moves by
President Donald Trump's administration to increase support for
self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, including U.S. Navy sailings
through the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from China.
Wei, dressed in his uniform of a general in the People's
Liberation Army, said China would "fight to the end" if anyone
tried to interfere in its relationship with Taiwan, which
Beijing considers a sacred territory to be taken by force if
necessary.
"If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese
military has no choice but to fight at all costs ... The U.S. is
indivisible, and so is China. China must be, and will be,
reunified."
He however said both sides realised that any war between the
two "would bring disaster to both countries and the world."
The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties
with Taiwan, but is its strongest backer and main source of
weapons.
While Shanahan's speech was critical of China, his tone was
often conciliatory. Wei took a more combative approach.
Taiwan's government condemned Wei's remarks, saying Taiwan
has never belonged to the People's Republic of China, that
Taiwan would never accept Beijing's threats and that China's
claim of its "peaceful development" was the "lie of the
century".
Taiwan "will continue to strengthen its self-defence
capabilities, defend the country's sovereignty and democratic
system, and uphold the right of the 23 million people of Taiwan
to freely choose their future", its Mainland Affairs Council
said in a statement.
TIANANMEN ANNIVERSARY
Taiwan is gearing up for presidential elections in January,
and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly accused Beijing
of seeking to undermine Taiwan's democracy and has vowed to
defend the island and its freedoms.
Wei, in a clear reference to the United States, also said:
"Some countries from outside the region come to the South China
Sea to flex muscles in the name of freedom of navigation."
This week will mark 30 years since a bloody Chinese military
crackdown on protesters around Beijing's Tiananmen Square,
refocusing scrutiny on China's approach to security threats.
Taking questions from the floor, Wei defended the
government's handling of the Tiananmen "incident", a rare
official acknowledgement of the events of June 4, 1989;
references to it are heavily censored in China. "The government was decisive in stopping the turbulence,"
Wei said of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
"Due to this, China has enjoyed stability, and if you visit
China you can understand that part of history."
On the ongoing trade war, which has shaken financial markets
around the world, Wei said China would "fight to the end" if the
United States wanted a fight. But if Washington wanted to talk,
"we will keep the door open".
Trade tensions escalated sharply last month after Trump's
administration accused China of having "reneged" on its previous
promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.
Washington later slapped additional tariffs of up to 25% on
$200 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate.
Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference in Beijing,
Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said it was
irresponsible of the United States to accuse China of
backtracking. "If the U.S. side wants to use extreme pressure, to escalate
the trade friction, to force China to submit and make
concessions, this is absolutely impossible," said Wang, who has
been part of China's trade negotiating team.