Beijing, China - In a stern warning to Taiwan and its allies on Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said anyone trying to separate the self-governing island from China would be "crushed and bring about their own downfall."

Dong, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, vowed that the Chinese People's Liberation Army would act "resolutely and forcefully" to prevent "Taiwan independence," according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

The defence minister also indirectly attacked the US, which sells weapons to Taiwan.

External forces are increasingly undermining the "One China" principle in "salami slicing tactics," forging Taiwan-related laws, selling weapons to Taiwan and maintaining illegal official contacts, the minister charged.

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These "malicious intentions" would put Taiwan in danger, he said, adding that China remains committed to peaceful reunification, but this prospect is being threatened by "Taiwan independence forces."

Dong's comments came a week after China concluded large-scale military drills around Taiwan, after carrying out a record number of incursions into Taiwanese airspace.

The two-day exercise, which included a simulated blockade of the island, came in response to the inauguration of Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which leans heavily towards independence.

China regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic. The island, with around 24 million inhabitants, has had an independent government since 1949, as the home of the anti-communist side that lost the Chinese Civil War.