CNN: China's release of images reinforces vow to keep Taiwan as a territory
China's military put out a strong message on Taiwan on Saturday, vowing to "safeguard the territory of our motherland."
The People's Liberation Army air force released a video and series of commemorative envelopes showing recent Chinese air force missions around the island, which Beijing views as a breakaway province.
"It is the sacred duty of any PLA pilot to safeguard the territory of our motherland," reads the text on the envelopes, which feature pictures of PLA warplanes and pilots on flights near Taiwan.
The democratic island of Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) is separated from China (the People's Republic) by a thin stretch of water and has been self-governed since a bloody civil war ended in 1949.
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Update: The Great Game in Asia: How China Sees Taiwan (Quinn Marschik, National Interest)
WNU Editor: The problem for Beijing is that the people of Taiwan like (and prefer) their independence.