China censures $100-million US arms sale deal with Chinese Taipei
China’s Defense Ministry has denounced a $100-million US arms sale to Chinese Taipei.
The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the “Peoples Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, thwart external interference and secessionist attempts, and promote reunification.”
“The sale of armaments by the United States to Taiwan seriously violates the ‘One China’ principle and the provisions of three joint communiques between China and the US.”
According to the statement, the US “grossly intrudes into China’s domestic affairs, harming the country’s sovereignty and security interests, destroying military relations between China and the US, as well as threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said, “There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.”
On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the sale of US weaponry “seriously undermines” the relations between Beijing and Washington, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The Pentagon on February 7 approved the sale of equipment and services to Chinese Taipei to boost its Patriot missile defense system. Chinese Taipei has expressed “gratitude” to Washington for the deal. It is the second military sale by the US to Chinese Taipei since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
Senior officials in Beijing have time and again called on Washington to stop maintaining any official contact with authorities in Chinese Taipei.
China’s tensions with Chinese Taipei have intensified since the election into office of President Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in 2016. China suspects Tsai intends to press for formal independence of the island, which would mean crossing the red line for Chinese leaders.
Beijing regards Chinese Taipei as an integral part of ‘One China’ and ineligible for formal state-to-state ties.
Relations between China and the US have also grown tense in recent years, with the world’s two largest economies clashing over a range of issues, Chinese Taipei included.
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