"China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan and urges the US to immediately cancel the projects of selling weapons to Taiwan," said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday night, when commenting on the sale of about US$280 million worth of military communications equipment to Taiwan region approved by the US State Department on Dec. 7.
The spokesperson pointed out that the US arms sales to Taiwan region severely violates international law and the basic norms governing international relations. It is a grave violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, especially the August 17 Communique. It grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and seriously endangers China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
"The move has seriously undermined the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, as well as the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this," Ren said.
Ren continued that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question bears on China's core interests and allows no foreign interference. "Any attempt of using Taiwan to contain China by the US is doomed to failure," Ren added.
"China strongly urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, immediately cancel the relevant arms sales to Taiwan and cease military contacts with the island, so as to avoid further damage to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and to the relations between the two countries and two militaries," said the spokesperson.
Ren emphasized in the end that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has full confidence and enough capability to thwart any attempt to split China and to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
