Chinese general takes a harsh line on Taiwan and other disputes at an international naval gathering

By NG HAN GUAN and CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press

QINGDAO, China (AP) — One of China’s top military leaders has taken a harsh line on regional territorial disputes. He told an international naval gathering that China would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened Monday in Qingdao, where China’s northern naval force is based. The two-day talks have drawn representatives from partners and competitors including India and the U.S. It comes amid heightened tensions over China’s assertive actions in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China seas, and as China’s navy has grown into the world’s largest by number of hulls.