The Chinese military on Thursday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the United States State Department's approval of a plan to sell weapons worth about 2.22 billion U.S. dollars to Taiwan.
The Chinese military has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side, said Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. China's firm opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan is clear and consistent, Wu said.
The erroneous actions of the U.S. side seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, interfere in China's internal affairs, harm China's sovereignty and security interests, seriously endanger the development of bilateral and military-to-military relations, and seriously harm peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he said.
As an internal affair of China, the Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and the national feeling of the Chinese people, and brooks no external interference, he said.
China urges the U.S. side to honor its commitment, abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, immediately withdraw the aforementioned arms sales to Taiwan, and stop all forms of military contact with Taiwan so as to avoid further damage to the relations between the two countries and their armed forces, he said.
The Chinese armed forces have the firm will, full confidence, and sufficient capability to thwart any form of interference by external forces and separatist acts of the "Taiwan independence," and will take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, he said.
