US plan for arms sales to Taiwan condemned

China has urged the United States to stop arming the Taiwan region and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, vowing to take resolute measures to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

The Foreign Ministry made the remarks late on Saturday in response to US approval on Friday of a $1.99 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, including delivery of an advanced surface-to-air missile system and radar systems.

The surface-to-air missile system has been battle-tested in Ukraine and represents an increase in the air defense capabilities that the US is exporting to Taiwan.

China strongly condemns and firmly opposes the US move and has lodged serious protests with the US, the ministry said in an online statement.

The sales seriously undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and send a gravely wrong message to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, a spokesperson said in the statement.

Washington's arms sales to the island seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the Aug 17 communique of 1982, according to the statement.

The US decision to use Taiwan to contain China and help advance a "Taiwan independence" agenda by arming the island goes against US leaders' commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence" as well as the two sides' efforts to stabilize China-US relations, the spokesperson added.

On Sunday, Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, warned Taiwan authorities under Lai Ching-te that purchasing weapons will not bring safety to Taiwan, but will only push the region toward the danger of military conflict.

Separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" forces and external interference cannot halt the trend of China's national reunification or shake China's determination and resolve to solve the Taiwan question, she said.

Under US President Joe Biden's administration, there reportedly have been 17 arms sales to Taiwan.

Earlier this month, the People's Liberation Army carried out an interservice exercise surrounding Taiwan aiming to thwart Taiwan separatists' attempts.

In response to Taiwan leader Lai's remarks that he "would not yield an inch of ground in defense of Taiwanese territory", Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian emphasized that Taiwan is part of China's territory.

No matter what the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan say or do, the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China will not change, Lin said on Friday at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The historic trend that the two sides of the Strait will and must be reunified will never be reversed, he added.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn