China urges the United States to cancel proposed arms sale to Taiwan

China on Tuesday urged the United States to cancel the proposed $330-million (around Rs 2,300 crore) arms deal to Taiwan, accusing the sale of “severely violating the international law”. In a statement, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said China has also officially lodged its protest with the US.

کد خبر: ۸۳۷۲۷۳

تاریخ: ۰۴ مهر ۱۳۹۷ - ۱۱:۳۰

“The US arms sales to Taiwan severely violates the international law, the basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests,” said Geng.

On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that the US would approve the arms deal and listed an inventory of repairs and spare parts to be bought for Taiwanese military aircraft. According to the US State Department, the proposed deal will help to improve the security and defensive capability of Taiwan, “which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region”.

Although Taiwan has been independent since 1950, China considers it a part of the mainland. Emphasising that Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory”, Geng said the Chinese government was determined to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose any foreign inteference.

“The Chinese side urges the US side to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, immediately cancel the above-mentioned plan on arms sales to Taiwan, and stop its military links with Taiwan lest it should cause more harm to China-US ties and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said Geng.

The military also expressed its dissatisfaction over the proposed arms sale to Taiwan, reported Xinhua. “The Chinese military lodges solemn representations to the US side over the move,” said Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense.

China and the US are locked in a trade battle, with both imposing economic sanctions on each other. Last week, the Donald Trump administration said it will begin to levy new tariffs of 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. The tariffs came into force on Monday and will rise to 25% on January 1, the White House said. In retaliation, China imposed taxes on $60 billion worth American products.

Both countries have been at loggerheads for several months. In August, US and China imposed tariffs on $16 billion (Rs 1.1 lakh crore) worth of each other’s goods. This was the second round of tariffs, with goods worth $50 billion (Rs 3.5 lakh crore) subjected to tariffs on both sides since early July.