INGAPORE (Dispatches) — China’s defense minister complained to his American counterpart on Friday about the latest U.S. arms package for Taiwan and warned of a possible conflict over the island.
Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a meeting in Singapore that the sale “seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests,” according to state broadcaster CCTV’s military channel.
China “firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,” and the Chinese government and military will “resolutely smash any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely safeguard the reunification of the motherland,” Wei said.
Despite their lack of formal diplomatic ties, Washington is Taiwan’s strongest backer and source of arms.
In the latest arms package, the U.S. announced Wednesday the sale of parts for Taiwanese naval ships at an estimated cost of $120 million.
“The proposed sale will contribute to the sustainment of the recipient’s surface vessel fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats,” the State Department said in its announcement of the sale.
In other comments, Wei warned against “using Taiwan to control China,” and laid out a list of conditions the U.S. must meet for relations to improve, including “not interfering in China’s internal affairs or harming China’s interests.”
In a further readout of the meeting, Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Wu Qian quoted Wei as saying China would respond to any move toward formal Taiwan independence by “smashing it even at any price, including war.”
Wu also accused “outside powers” of stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, and said Beijing would “resolutely counter” any efforts to harm China’s interests over the issue of Ukraine.