China urges US to cease arming Taiwan: FM spokesperson

BEIJING - China urges the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop its dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

The spokesperson made the remarks in response to a reporter's query that the US Defense Department on Oct 26 announced that the US State Department has approved $1.988 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the "National Advanced Surface-to-air Missile Systems" and radar systems.

The US arms sales to China's Taiwan region severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982. The sales seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and send a gravely wrong message to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, the spokesperson said.

China strongly condemns and firmly opposes the sales and has lodged solemn representations with the US side, the spokesperson noted.

The US decision to use Taiwan to contain China and help advance "Taiwan independence" agenda by arming Taiwan goes against the US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" and the two sides' effort of stabilizing the China-US relations, the spokesperson said.

China urges the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said. China will take resolute countermeasures and take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.