China's Foreign Ministry urges U.S. to stop arming Taiwan region

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday urged the United States to revoke its plan to sell arms to China's Taiwan region and stop arming the region with weapons. 

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the ministry, voiced China's strong condemnation and firm opposition in response to reports that the U.S. State Department has approved $360 million in weapons and equipment sales to Taiwan and the provision of training services.

In disregard of China's repeated opposition and serious protests, the U.S. once again sold arms to China's Taiwan region, said Lin.

Such sales seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, he stressed.

The sales undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and send a gravely wrong message to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, said Lin.

The frequent arms sales of the U.S. to the Taiwan region embolden the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities as they cling to the stance of "Taiwan independence" and make deliberate provocations on the one-China principle, he said.

This once again shows that separatist moves for "Taiwan independence" and connivance and support for such moves from U.S.-led external forces are the biggest threat facing cross-Straits peace and stability and a source of damage to the real status quo in the Taiwan Straits, said Lin.

"Let me stress that the DPP authorities' attempt to seek independence through military build-up and what the U.S. has done to assist that agenda will only backfire and lead nowhere," he said.

The spokesperson said the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations.

No one should underestimate China's firm determination and ability to oppose "Taiwan independence" and safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.

Lin said China urges the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, revoke its wrongful decisions to sell arms to Taiwan, stop the dangerous trend of arming Taiwan, stop wrongful moves to connive at and support "Taiwan independence" forces, and stop endangering cross-Straits peace and stability.

"We will take strong and resolute measures to defend our national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," he said.