BEIJING, July 15 -- The Chinese military Wednesday voiced strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to US plan of selling Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles to Taiwan. “This move by the US side seriously jeopardizes China's national sovereignty and security,” said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
According to a statement released by Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense, the US State Department approved on July 9, American local time, the recertification of selling Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles worth 620 million US dollars to China’s Taiwan region.
“The US move is a flagrant violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, it also grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and seriously impairs China's national sovereignty and security, China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to it,” said Wu in an address on the US State Department’s approval of the recertification of selling weapons to China’s Taiwan region.
Taiwan is an integral part of China and China's position on Taiwan question is consistent and clear, Wu said, adding that China will not allow anyone, any organization or any country to take any means to separate Taiwan from the motherland.
All attempts to create "one China, one Taiwan" and split China are going against the historical trend and will be firmly opposed by all Chinese people both at home and abroad, Wu said.
"We sternly warn Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority that, the reunification of the motherland is where the fundamental interests of the nation lie and the aspiration of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, its attempts to bond with foreign forces for "Taiwan independence" by military means will never succeed," the spokesperson continued.
China strongly urged the U.S. to immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan to avoid further damage to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and the relations between the two countries and their militaries, Wu said.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Wu stressed.