Reporter：According to media reports, the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency under the U.S. Department of Defense recently announced that the U.S. State Department has approved a sale of up to about 108 million U.S. dollars worth of military technical support to Taiwan, to strengthen so-called U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation and enhance Taiwan's ability to deal with "threats." Could you please make comments on this?
Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kefei: The U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the Aug. 17 Communique, grossly interfere in China's internal affairs, gravely jeopardize China's sovereignty and security interests, and severely harm relations between the two countries and their militaries. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to it.
The Taiwan question concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and involves China's core interests. Recently, the U.S. has repeatedly promised China the "five assurances” i.e., ”the US does not seek a new Cold War with China; it does not aim to change China's system; the revitalization of its alliances is not targeted at China; the United States does not support ‘Taiwan independence’; and it has no intention to seek a conflict with China”, clearly stated that it does not support “Taiwan independence”. However, on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, the US side has no integrity in the least and its words and deeds are inconsistent.
China urges the U.S. side to immediately revoke the arms sales plan to Taiwan, and stop arms sales to and military ties with Taiwan. Otherwise, the responsibility for undermining China-U.S. bilateral and mil-to-mil relations and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait will be borne entirely by the U.S. side.
What needs to be emphasized is that Taiwan's future, as well as the safety, security, and well-being of Taiwan compatriots cannot be bought. The Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces were vainly trying to rely on the U.S. to strengthen themselves, and attempted to “seek independence by force”, which is just like quenching a thirst with poison. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and will resolutely thwart any form of interference by external forces and separatist plots of "Taiwan independence."
