China has firmly opposed the recent U.S. decision to provide military assistance and approve arms sales to the Taiwan region, expressing serious concerns and lodging formal representations. On Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the move, stating it violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the August 17 Communique of 1982.
The White House announced on Saturday a military assistance package worth $571.3 million to the Taiwan region, alongside the U.S. Department of Defense’s approval of $295 million in arms sales to the island. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized that these actions seriously infringe upon China’s sovereignty and security interests.
“The United States’ approval of military assistance and arms sales to China’s Taiwan region is a severe breach of U.S. leaders’ commitment to not support ‘Taiwan independence’,” the spokesperson stated. “It sends a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan secessionist’ forces.”
The spokesperson warned that aiding “Taiwan independence” by arming the region is akin to “playing with fire” and will have consequences for the U.S. “Using the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail,” they added, stressing that the Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and represents the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations.
“China urges the U.S. to immediately stop arming Taiwan and halt dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the spokesperson said. “We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.”
Meanwhile, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, also responded to the issue. “Taiwan secessionist activities and external interference are the biggest threats to peace across the Taiwan Strait,” Zhu stated.
“We urge the U.S. side to immediately stop arming Taiwan and handle the Taiwan question with extra prudence,” she said, warning the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that “using force to seek independence is a dead end.”
