Beijing: China on Monday rejected Taiwan's claims regarding the existence of a "median line" in the Taiwan Strait, reaffirming its stance that Taiwan is an integral part of China. "Taiwan is a part of China and there is no such thing as a 'median line' of the Taiwan Straits," Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin stated during a news conference.

According to Anadolu Agency, this statement was made following Taiwan's criticism of China's recent activation of the W121 connector of the M503 air route. Taipei argues that this action undermines Taiwan's air defense capabilities and shortens its warning time, thereby posing a potential risk.

Officials from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have described China's action as an attempt to eliminate the "median line," labeling it a "military threat" to Taiwan. Jiang countered these accusations, accusing the DPP of using the situation to exaggerate the so-called "military threat from the mainland" to create security anxiety and obstruct cross-Straits exchanges.

Jiang further accused the DPP of escalating the current tension by collaborating with "external forces" to pursue independence. He called on the Taiwanese population to oppose any secessionist activities.

In a separate statement, Jiang criticized Taiwan's establishment of a new military unit equipped with the US-supplied HIMARS artillery system. He alleged that the DPP is "using the hard-earned money of the people in Taiwan to pay protection fees to the US" and criticized their alignment with the US.

According to the Taipei Times, the Taiwanese military inaugurated its first HIMARS unit on July 4 as part of the army's 58th Artillery Command.