China urges US to stop arms sales to Taiwan

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Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday that the US should stop selling armaments to Taiwan and cut military ties with the island.

This comes shortly after the US finalized and approved the sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan for the amount of $180 million.

"China urges the US to abide by the One-China principle and the provisions of the three joint China-US communiques, earnestly implement the promise of the US leaders not to support the 'Taiwan independence', stop selling arms to Taiwan, cut US-Taiwan military ties and stop creating new tensions across the Taiwan Strait," Wang said during a press briefing.

He went on to say that China was prepared to take decisive action to preserve its sovereignty and security interests.

Just this month, a US State Department notice obtained by Bloomberg News said the US has offered Taiwan to buy up to 100 of its most up-to-date Patriot air-defense missiles. The batch will also include radar and related equipment, the report stated. The total amount of the transaction is estimated at $882 million.

According to the notice, the proposal was prepared on the basis of an agreement concluded between the US and the Taiwan administration back in 2010, which means that the current proposal is an extension of the previous deal. 

Ongoing contracts

In June, Taiwan applauded the United States' approval of the fourth arms sale in the amount of $120 million of naval weaponry, which the two partners said would improve the island's "combat preparedness" and ability to collaborate with American forces.

Then in September, the Biden administration announced the sale of $1.1bln worth of arms to Taiwan within the framework of three contracts. 

The largest contract is owed to a $655 million logistics package for the Taiwanese surveillance radar program. Harpoon air-to-sea missiles are worth $355 million from the second contract while the third consists of Sidewinder air-to-air missiles worth $85 million, revealed the US Department of State, asserting that the equipment was necessary for Taiwan to “maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."

In response, China asserted that the US has breached its commitment not to support the independence of Taiwan, while its military contacts with the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party have become even closer recently.

"The sale of arms by the US to China's Taiwan violates the One China principle and provisions of the three China-US communiques... This is a gross interference in China's domestic politics, which harms China's sovereignty and security interests, and exacerbates the situation in the Taiwan Strait. China is strongly opposed to it," Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Tan Kefei confirmed.