In a warning to the United States and other Western countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said, "anybody criticising China over Taiwan will have dangerous consequences".

China recently conducted military exercises for three days near Taiwan, which included simulating strikes and a blockade of the island. The move was in response to a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

"Recently, there has been some absurd rhetoric accusing China... of unilaterally changing the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, through force or coercion, and of disrupting peace and stability across the Strait," Qin said while giving a lecture at a forum on Chinese modernisation.

"Such claims go against basic commonsense on international relations and historical justice," he told the audience in Shanghai.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and plans to eventually incorporate it into mainland China. "The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China," Qin said.

"We will never back down in face of any act that undermines China's sovereignty and security. Those who play with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned."

The Chinese Foreign Minister will visit the Philippines, a week after the US-Philippines military exercises concluded in the disputed South China Sea.

"We have the best record in abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN charter, international law, and the basic norms of international relations," Qin said, highlighting Chinese peaceful intentions.

He also highlighted China's role in facilitating reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and reaffirmed their stance as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict.

"China is not adding fuel to the fire or taking advantage of the situation," he said, adding it was pushing peace talks to de-escalate the crisis instead.

"Facts have proved that China's march toward modernisation is a growing force for peace and justice."

Taiwan-China Boundary Dispute

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