Beijing: China on Thursday sharply criticised the US for its plan to sell massive advanced weapons worth USD 11.1 billion to Taiwan, saying Washington’s move “grossly violates” the one-China principle and infringes on its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
US President Donald Trump has approved the arms package for Taiwan, which, if cleared by the US Congress, would mark Washington’s largest-ever arms sale to the island. The development
comes amid Taipei’s concerns over a potential invasion by China, which claims the self-governing island as part of its mainland.
Much on the expected lines, China sharply criticised the US, saying Washington “blatantly announced its plan to sell massive advanced weapons to China’s Taiwan region” and sends a “gravely wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces”.
“China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here, reacting to Trump’s approval of the arms sale.
“This move grossly violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, infringes on China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
The arms sale aids Taiwan’s independence forces’ plans to turn the island into a “powder keg”, Guo said.
“China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” he said. If approved by Congress, as is likely given Taiwan’s strong bipartisan support, the package would exceed the USD 8.4 billion in arms sold to Taiwan during the Biden administration, a New York Times report said.