Photo/Illutration In this Sept. 15 file photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, speaks with military personnel near aircraft parked on a highway in Jiadong, Taiwan. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

TAIPEI--No matter who wins in any future war between Taiwan and China, it will be a “miserable victory,” Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday, adding it was best if everyone avoided conflict.

Speaking to reporters before a parliament session on the security implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chiu said both sides would pay a heavy price in the event of conflict between China and Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to reclaim, by force if necessary.

“If there’s a war, to be frank, everyone will be miserable, even for the victors,” he said.

“One really needs to think this through,” Chiu added. “Everyone should avoid wars.”

While Taiwan has stepped up its alert level since the war in Ukraine, it has reported no unusual Chinese military activities, though China’s air force has continued to mount occasional missions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.

“We watch the changes calmly and we are prepared accordingly,” Chiu said of China.

Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said on Wednesday in a report to the parliamentary session that China was too busy with ensuring stability for a key Communist Party congress at the end of the year to suddenly escalate tensions with Taiwan.

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