Beijing vows 'resolute' response after US approves US$385 million in weapons to Taiwan
South China Morning Post
4 min read
Beijing has vowed to take "resolute countermeasures" to defend its sovereignty following US approval of US$385 million in arms sales to Taiwan.
The foreign ministry said on Sunday that the US decision was an infringement of China's sovereignty and would harm relations between the two countries.
It urged the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop condoning support for separatist forces that "seek independence by force".
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
"The sales seriously undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, seriously violate international law and send a gravely wrong message to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the ministry said.
"China will take strong measures to resolutely counter and firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."
The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Friday that the US State Department had a request from Taiwan for about US$320 million in spare parts and support for F-16 fighter jets and radar equipment.
"The proposed sale will improve the recipient's ability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16 aircraft," the agency said.
The department, which also approved US$65 million in technical support for communications systems, said the proposed sales would not "alter the basic military balance in the region".
Deliveries are expected to begin next year.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. The United States, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming it for defence.
The office of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te said the package was the 18th military sale to Taipei announced since US President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
The announcement of the approval came on the eve of Lai's departure on a trip to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, Taipei's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific.
Beijing also said on Sunday that it "strongly condemned" the US for arranging the stopovers and had lodged serious protests with Washington.
"China resolutely opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region, and resolutely opposes any trip by the leader of the Taiwan authorities to the US under any name or pretext," the foreign ministry said.
"The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," it added.
For decades, weapons sales to Taiwan have been a source of tension between Beijing and Washington, the island's top international supporter and arms supplier. The situation has become more complicated since Lai took office in May and made a number of statements that Beijing sees as promoting independence.
Washington is legally obliged under its 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to help the island protect itself by providing "arms of a defensive character". Since the late 2000s, as Beijing's military modernisation drive took off, US arms sales to Taiwan have also increased. This is not only to bolster the island's defence capabilities but to also counter the rise of Beijing as Washington's geopolitical rival.
In October, the Pentagon approved nearly US$2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including nearly US$1.2 billion in the first-ever delivery of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems to the island. Beijing condemned the sale as harming "China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" and sending a "gravely wrong message" to separatist forces in Taiwan.
Friday's DSCA statement said the latest proposed sale would "help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region".
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Saturday that it expected the sale to "take effect" within a month and that the equipment would help maintain the readiness of its F-16 fleet and "build a credible defence force".
"Taiwan and the US will continue to strengthen their security partnership and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry said in a statement.
