China has warned the United States that it will take action in response to the US government’s approval of arms sales to Taiwan totaling more than $1.1 billion.
Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Liu Pengyu said Saturday that the country was “firmly” opposed to the transfer, which “gravely harms China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” and asked Washington to “repeal it immediately.”
Liu’s comments come after the Biden administration formally notified Congress on Friday about the sales, which include up to 60 anti-ship missiles and up to 100 air-to-air missiles.
The State Department said the operation is in line with a long-standing US policy of supplying defensive weapons to the island and described the “rapid delivery” as being “essential to Taiwan’s security”.
China, however, has accused the US of interfering in what it sees as its internal affairs. The Communist Party claims the island, an autonomous democracy, as part of its territory – despite never having ruled it – and has long promised to “reunify” it with the Chinese mainland. If necessary, by force.
“The United States interferes in China’s internal affairs and undermines its sovereignty and security interests by selling the weapons,” Liu said.
“This sends the wrong signals to the separatist forces of ‘Taiwan independence’ and seriously undermines China-US relations and peace and stability across the Strait,” he added.
He called on the US to “honor its commitments to the one-China principle” and ended his series of tweets by saying that Taiwan is “an inalienable part of Chinese territory” and warned that the Asian country will “resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures”.
Tensions have increased since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last month. The Chinese government had warned Pelosi against making the trip and responded by ordering days of military exercises around the island after she left.
Taiwan said Saturday that it “greatly welcomes” the latest arms sales and thanked the US government for “continuing to implement its security commitments”.
“In response to China’s recent ongoing military provocations and unilateral changes to the status quo and creating crises, Taiwan’s determination to defend itself is extremely firm,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This batch of arms sales includes a large number of various types of missiles needed to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense, which fully demonstrates the great importance the US government attaches to our government’s defense needs,” the text adds.
In the latest incident to heighten tensions, the Taiwanese military shot down a drone hovering over one of its island outposts on Thursday.
A day earlier, the government said it had warned of drones hovering over three of the islands it occupies off the coast of the Chinese port city of Xiamen.
Source: CNN Brasil
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