China Slams U.S., UK Over Arming Taiwan

Date: 29 April 2022 - 20:54

News ID: ۱۰۲۱۳۶

BEIJING (Dispatches) - China has condemned statements from London and Washington about arming Taiwan, pointing out that such talk fuels separatism on the disputed island and goes contrary to their recognition of China.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both come out in support of sending weapons to Taiwan this week.
“We deplore and reject Secretary Blinken’s statement at a congressional hearing on April 26 that the administration is determined to make sure that Taiwan has all necessary means to defend itself against any potential aggression,” Xie Yongjun, head of the information department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on Thursday in reference to multiple outlets having noticed Blinken’s statement.
Xie was echoing the words of MFA spokesman Wang Wenbin from the news briefing.
Wang told reporters that U.S. statements clash with their recognition of Beijing and the One China policy, and encourage Taiwanese separatists by selling weapons to the island.
“The U.S. admits that Taiwan is part of China, but keeps talking about the mainland’s potential ‘aggression’ of Taiwan. Isn’t this self-contradictory since a country cannot ‘invade’ part of its own territory?” said Wang.
“We have this stern warning for the U.S. side: The historical trend of China’s reunification cannot be held back, and the one-China principle is what underpins peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wang added, warning Washington to “not underestimate the strong resolve, determination and capability of the 1.4 billion Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity” or risk bringing “unbearable cost to the U.S. itself.”
During Thursday’s briefing, Wang also addressed the speech by the British foreign secretary, in which Truss argued for “a global NATO” to engage in the “Indo-Pacific” and arm Taiwan the way the UK and its allies are now arming Ukraine.
“NATO claims to be a defensive organization, but in fact it is constantly creating confrontation and disturbances,” Wang told reporters. “NATO demands that other countries abide by the basic norms of international relations, yet has wantonly waged wars and dropped bombs in sovereign states, killing and displacing innocent civilians.”
“The impact of NATO’s eastward expansion on the long-term peace and stability of Europe is worth reflecting upon. NATO has messed up Europe. Is it now trying to mess up the Asia-Pacific and even the world?” Wang added.
The Chinese government has also accused the U.S. and Japan of “fabricating” China’s space threat, saying it is aimed at advancing their own space army expansion.
“The U.S. and Japan have turned a blind eye to the facts, fabricated and hyped up the so called ‘space threat’ by China,” China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesman Tan Kefei said in a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
“It is just an excuse for their own space army expansion and predominance in space. China firmly opposes such moves.”
The ministry accused the U.S. of promoting “space militarization with a Cold War mentality”.
“The U.S. has openly defined space as a ‘combat domain’, established a Space Command, a space force, vigorously developed and deployed directed energy and ‘anti-satellite communication systems’ and other offensive space weapons, and frequently held military exercises such as ‘Schriever’, ‘Global Sentinel’ and Space Flag,” the spokesman said.
According to Kefei, the U.S. government has launched all kinds of satellites, including military reconnaissance satellites, besides purchasing billions of U.S. dollars worth of commercial satellite services “for military use.”