China asks US to stop military contact with Taiwan
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The US is making several hundred-million-dollar deals with Taiwan to sell military equipment and China protests.
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A demonstrator holds flags of Taiwan and the United States in support of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Burlingame, California, in January 2017. (Reuters)
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei said on Friday that China demands that the US stops selling arms to Taiwan and ends military contact with the island.
"China demands that the United States stop selling arms to Taiwan and military contacts with Taipei, stop interfering in the Taiwan issue and aggravate tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Tan said.
US-made F-16 fighter jets and equipment worth more than $600 million are in an approved deal Washington will sell to Taiwan.
"China strongly opposes the arms sale to Taiwan by the United States. US actions are a gross interference in China's internal affairs, seriously violate the 'one China' principle and the provisions of the three joint US-Chinese communiques, cause serious damage to China's sovereignty and security interests, and pose a serious threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Tan stated.
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The official warned that the Chinese military is prepared to safeguard its national sovereignty.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement earlier this week that the US approved a $619 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan.
This sale includes F-16 munitions and other equipment.
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