In a firm stance against recent developments, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday its strong opposition to the United States’ latest decision to provide military assistance and approve arms sales to Taiwan region. The ministry stated that China has lodged serious representations with the U.S. over these moves.
The U.S. administration revealed plans on Saturday for military assistance worth $571.3 million to Taiwan region, alongside the Department of Defense’s approval of $295 million in arms sales to the island. This action has been met with stern criticism from Beijing.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized that the U.S.’s actions severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, particularly the August 17 Communiqué of 1982. “This is a serious infringement on China’s sovereignty and security interests,” the spokesperson asserted.
The spokesperson also highlighted that these decisions represent a grave breach of U.S. leaders’ commitments not to support “Taiwan independence,” sending a profoundly wrong signal to forces advocating for secession in Taiwan region.
“To aid ‘Taiwan independence’ by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the U.S. burned,” the spokesperson warned, stressing that the Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and constitutes the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations.
The ministry urged the U.S. to “immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.” The spokesperson added, “We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.”
Echoing these sentiments, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stated that activities promoting “Taiwan independence” and external interference are the biggest threats to peace across the Taiwan Straits. “We urge the U.S. side to handle the Taiwan question with extra prudence,” Zhu said, warning that “using force to seek independence is a dead end.”
With input from Xinhua
Reference(s):
China opposes new U.S. arms sales, military assistance to Taiwan
cgtn.com
