TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China and the U.S. will likely be locked in a military conflict if Taiwan continues to pursue independence, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang (秦剛) said on Friday (Jan. 28).

In an interview with NPR, Qin called the Taiwan issue “the biggest tinderbox between China and the United States.”

He said that since people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese, “the last thing we should do is to fight with compatriots.” The ambassador pledged China would “do the utmost" to achieve unification.

Qin said China will not renounce military action as deterrence. He added that Beijing considers its ties with Washington to be the most important and therefore is cautious not to “mess it up.”

Additionally, he stressed that China's Uyghurs are enjoying a “happy life” and that their rights and freedom are ensured by the Chinese constitution. “There’s no genocide at all,” he stated.

Qin was appointed ambassador to the U.S. in July.