China warns of war over Taiwan

♦ China says army can be deployed at Hong Kong's request

♦ Four Chinese indicted for evading US weapons sanctions on N.Korea

China yesterday warned that it was ready for war if there was any move toward Taiwan's independence, accusing the United States of undermining global stability and denouncing its arms sales to the self-ruled island.

The Pentagon said this month the US State Department had approved sales of weapons requested by Taiwan, including tanks and Stinger missiles estimated to be worth $2.2 billion.

China responded by saying it would impose sanctions on US firms involved in any deals.

Defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a news briefing on a defence white paper, the first like it in several years to outline the military's strategic concerns, that China would make its greatest effort for peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

"However, we must firmly point out that seeking Taiwan independence is a dead end," Reuters said quoting Wu.

"If there are people who dare to try to split Taiwan from the country, China's military will be ready to go to war to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity," he said.

The United States is the main arms supplier to Taiwan, which China deems a wayward province. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

The United States has no formal ties with democratic Taiwan, but is bound by law to help provide it with the means to defend itself.

In Beijing, asked how China's military would handle escalating protest violence in Hong Kong's widening crisis over a controversial extradition bill, Wu referred only to the territory's garrison law, which he said "already has a clear stipulation".

That law states that the Hong Kong government can request the People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison's assistance to maintain public order.

China outlined plans to build a modern, high-tech army in a national defence plan published yesterday

The first comprehensive white paper since 2012 offers insight into the world's largest army as it scrambles to catch up to America's formidable firepower as tensions deepen between the two powers.

The plan calls for more cutting-edge technology in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) arsenal, admitting it "still lags far behind the world's leading militaries".

Meanwhile, four Chinese nationals have been indicted for financial dealings with North Korean companies sanctioned for involvement in the production of weapons of mass destruction, the US Justice Department said Tuesday.

Ma Xiaohong, the head of Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Co. Ltd (DHID) and three top executives of the Chinese company were indicted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey, the department said in a statement.