FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Tian'anmen Rostrum, national flag of China

Beijing, China - Jan 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman, Ministry of National Defense:
"The Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, and how to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese people themselves. No external forces have the right to interfere. Dealing with Taiwan's separatist forces that seek to split Taiwan from China is as certain as catching a turtle in a jar. All measures capable of severely punishing these separatist forces are viable options."

FILE: Taipei City, Taiwan, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of Taipei 101 Tower, traffic

A spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense said on Friday that the Chinese mainland can take all possible measures to severely punish separatist forces attempting to split Taiwan from China.

Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang reaffirmed the mainland's resolve to crush any attempt to seek Taiwan's secession at a press conference in Beijing, in response to a media inquiry over concerns within Taiwan that the mainland might justify potential measures by citing U.S. actions against Venezuela.

"The Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, and how to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese people themselves. No external forces have the right to interfere. Dealing with Taiwan's separatist forces that seek to split Taiwan from China is as certain as catching a turtle in a jar. All measures capable of severely punishing these separatist forces are viable options," said Zhang.