China, angered by Washington’s arms deal with Taiwan, summons US envoy
Washington’s announcement of selling two warships to Taiwan has apparently angered China, as the Asian giant has summoned a senior US envoy.
Washington earlier announced selling the warships to Taiwan as a part of a US$1.8 billion (AU$2.5 billion) arms deal. The US State Department revealed its plan on Wednesday to sell two Perry-class Frigates, TOW 2B anti-tank missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, AAV-7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles and a range of other military equipment to Taipei.
“The Chinese side firmly opposes any arms sale from the US to Taiwan,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“I would like to reiterate that the arms sale from the US to Taiwan constitutes a grave breach of the principle of the three joint communiqués between China and the US especially that of the August 17 Communiqué, interfere in China's domestic affairs and undermine the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and China-US relations,” Hong Lei added.
The spokesperson further said that China expected US authorities to stick to their commitments and stop selling arms to Taiwan. Beijing also asks Washington to contribute to the overall interests of China-US ties and the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. “The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to fully recognize how sensitive and harmful the arms sales can be,” the foreign ministry spokesperson said.
While China and Taiwan have been separated since 1949, the United States fears Beijing plans to militarise parts of the South China Sea.
A Pentagon spokesperson has told Al Jazeera in a statement that the “US arms sales to Taiwan are guided by the Taiwan Relations Act and based on an assessment of Taiwan's defence needs.” The statement further says that Washington’s “long-standing policy on arms sales to Taiwan has been consistent across six different US administrations.”
The Pentagon statement adds that the US policy has been consistent and has contributed to the security of Taiwan.
Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.
