Straits Times
Date: June 2, 2019
By: Bhagyashree Garekar Deputy Foreign Editor

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea L. Thompson speaks to media on the sidelines during IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2019 at Shangri-La Hotel on June 2, 2019.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

SINGAPORE – Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe’s tough words on Taiwan and its military activities in the South China Sea were directed primarily towards the audience back home, a top United States official attending the Shangri-La Dialogue said on Sunday (June 2).

Providing the first official US response to General Wei’s speech at the Dialogue, Ms Andrea Thompson, the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, said: “As I took it, it seemed very tailored towards his leadership.”

In his speech, Gen Wei warned Washington not to interfere in security disputes over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

“If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs for national unity,” he said in his speech.    [FULL  STORY]