BEIJING, Aug. 6 -- China firmly opposes US arms sale to Taiwan or having any military interactions with Taiwan, a defense spokesperson said in a written statement on Friday.
It is reported that the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on August 4 that the US State Department had approved the sale of 40 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan in a deal valued at $750 million.
Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, pointed out that the US arms sale to Taiwan, regardless of international law and basic norms governing international relations, has seriously violated the one-China principle and three China-US Joint Communiqués, severely interfered in China's internal affairs, sent wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and endangered the stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan question matters for China's core interests, Wu stressed. China urges the US side to keep its promises, strictly abide by the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17th communiqué, properly handle Taiwan-related issues, and stop arms sales to Taiwan or military ties with the island, so as to avoid serious consequences to Sino-American bilateral and mil-to-mil relations, as well as maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said the spokesperson.
Senior Colonel Wu emphasized that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has the determined will, full confidence and enough capability to thwart any form of external interference and any separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence". "The Chinese PLA will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and make continuous efforts to advance national reunification process," the spokesperson added.