China demands US to immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan
Flags of China and the US. (AFP Photo)
China called on the U.S. to halt building up Taiwan’s army, asserting arms sales threaten China‘s unity and vowing “strong and resolute countermeasures” will be taken in the opposite case.
Taiwan has sovereignty disputes with China, which considers it as part of its territory.
On Nov. 30, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the Department of State has approved $385 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that Beijing has lodged “serious” protests to the U.S. over the latest arms sales, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency on Dec 1.
‘Inconsistent with US commitment on Taiwan’
“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 Aug. 17 Communique of 1982 and China’s sovereignty and security interests,” the spokesperson said.
The Aug. 17 Communique of 1982, or Third Point Communique between the United States and China, was part of a series of three key joint communiques between the two nations, which established the foundation for U.S.-China relations after the U.S. officially recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legal government of China in 1979.
The decision to sell arms to Taiwan is simply inconsistent with U.S. leaders’ commitment to not supporting “Taiwan independence,” Beijing further said.
“We call on the U.S. to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop abetting and supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces in seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ by building up its military,” the spokesperson said, adding: “China will take strong and resolute countermeasures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”
