China strongly condemns and opposes the continued arms sales of the United States to the Taiwan region and has taken resolute countermeasures, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday, in response to the U.S. State Department's latest approval of a military sale to Taiwan valued at about 228 million U.S. dollars.
"The U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982. Such sales gravely undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and send a wrong message to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces. China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this. China has lodged serious representations with the U.S. side, and announced the imposition of sanctions on nine U.S. defense industry enterprises," Lin Jian, the spokesman, said at a press conference in Beijing.
"The U.S. has kept arming Taiwan, emboldening Lai Ching-te and the DPP authorities to stubbornly pursue 'Taiwan independence' and challenge the one-China principle. This fact shows once again that the biggest threat to cross-Strait peace and stability and the biggest source of damage to the cross-Strait status quo are the separatist moves for 'Taiwan independence' and the connivance at and support for such moves from U.S.-led external forces," he said.
"It must be pointed out that the DPP authorities, which attempt to seek independence through the use of force, and the U.S., which is bent on helping advance that agenda by arming Taiwan, will get burned for playing with fire and taste the bitter fruit they are brewing, and the separatist agenda will only end in failure. The Taiwan question is in the very core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in the China-U.S. relationship. No one shall underestimate China's strong resolve and capability in opposing 'Taiwan independence' and safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Lin noted.
China condemns continued U.S. arms sales to Taiwan region
China condemns continued U.S. arms sales to Taiwan region
