BEIJING (Dispatches) - The Chinese Ministry of Defense has denounced a recent United States’ arms transfer to Taiwan as gross interference in Chinese domestic matters.
The defense ministry further vowed to counter any foreign influence in an official statement released on Wednesday.
“U.S. arms sales to Taiwan severely infringe on the ‘One China’ principle and three joint U.S.-China communiqués... This represents a flagrant interference in China’s internal affairs and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests,” spokesperson of the Chinese Defense Ministry Wu Qian said in a statement.
He added that Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan “erode relations between China and the U.S. as well as between the armed forces of the two countries, endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, China expresses its strong resentment and firmly opposes it”.
Beijing is further urging Washington to revoke the deal on selling arms to Taipei and cut off any ties with Taiwan’s military.
“There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. China demands that the U.S. immediately cancel the aforementioned plan to sell arms to Taiwan,” Wu stressed, adding that the Chinese Army will take every effort to uphold the nation’s sovereignty.
“The People’s Liberation Army of China will take all the necessary measures to vigorously defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and unwaveringly thwart any external interference,” Wu said.
The criticism from Beijing was prompted by the U.S. decision to approve a possible $100 million sale of military equipment and services to the island. The purchase is believed to be important for the Patriot missile defense system used by Taipei. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the move “will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, economic and progress in the region”.
Taiwan has been governed separately from mainland China since the end of the civil war in 1949. Beijing considers the island to be its province, while Taiwan, which formally calls itself the Republic of China (ROC), maintains that it is an autonomous country with political and economic relations with several other nations.
While the American government does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Washington has stressed it is ready to protect the island in case of an attack by the Chinese military.