Chinese Defense Ministry: U.S. military aid, arms sales aim to drag Taiwan into war

A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday said U.S. military collusion with China's Taiwan region – whether through military aid, arms sales or under any other pretext – is an attempt to drag Taiwan into the flames of war and harm the island itself.

According to reports, the U.S. side recently invited Taiwan's military representatives to observe a joint air exercise involving the U.S. and its allies. Meanwhile, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations recently approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act, which includes a $500 million budget for military assistance to Taiwan.

In response to a question from the media during a regular press briefing, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said China firmly opposes any form of military collusion between the U.S. and China's Taiwan region.

"We urge the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and stop sending wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," Zhang said.

The spokesperson also warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities that "soliciting U.S. support for independence" is doomed to fail and "resisting reunification by force" is a dead end.

Zhang also responded to a query about Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's expectations that Taiwan-U.S. security cooperation will advance from military procurement to joint production and joint research and development.

"Lai and his ilk are constantly devising new ways to pay 'protection money' to their American 'masters,' recklessly squandering the hard-earned money of the people of Taiwan," Zhang said.

Any attempt to seek independence by relying on the United States or to resist reunification by force is doomed to fail, the spokesperson warned.

Lai recently launched the so-called "10 lectures on unity" campaign on Sunday, with each lecture focusing on a specific theme.

Zhang denounced Lai's latest speeches, saying they distorted history. Lai's "evil doctrine" had "fully exposed his sinister intention of provoking and escalating cross-Taiwan Straits confrontation," he pointed out.

"The People's Liberation Army will not tolerate the separatist acts of Taiwan independence, will continue to strengthen its military training and combat preparedness, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity," the spokesperson added.