China has threatened the United States with “countermeasures” if it does not cancel the new arms sale to Taiwan announced by the US government on Friday, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said.
“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of this situation,” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the United States, said in a statement.
In a “firmly against” statement, Beijing immediately demanded the end of the agreement after Washington’s announcement.
China urges the United States to “immediately revoke” the arms sale, “so that it does not further affect relations with the United States, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the spokesman added.
The United States on Friday announced a $1.1 billion military aid package to Taiwan to strengthen the island’s missile and radar system, whose sovereignty China claims, the US government said.
The US government approved the sale to Taipei of 60 Harpoon missiles for 355 million dollars, 100 Sidewinder tactical missiles ($85.6 million) and a maintenance contract for Taiwan’s radar system valued at 665 million dollars, reported the US State Department in a statement.
The announcement of the new aid comes at a time of tension between Washington and Beijing, exacerbated by the recent visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Taiwan has historically been one of the biggest sources of friction between China and the United States, mainly because the Americans are Taiwan’s main arms supplier and would be its biggest military ally in the event of a potential war with China.
These transactions “serve the national security and economic interests of the United States by supporting [de Taiwan] to modernize its Armed Forces,” stressed US diplomacy.
Since 2010, the United States has reported more than $35 billion in arms sales to Taiwan to Congress, said a spokesman for the State Department, which approved the deals.
To materialize, these sales must receive congressional approval, which is almost certain, since military support for Taiwan has enjoyed broad support among lawmakers of both parties.
For the State Department, these arms sales are “essential to the security of Taiwan.”
“We call on Beijing to end its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan and instead start a dialogue” with Taipei, he stressed.
“The United States continues to support a peaceful resolution of the matter, in accordance with the wishes and interests of the people of Taiwan,” he added.
August saw a record number of Chinese air raids on Taiwan, with more than 440 military aircraft entering the island’s air defense zone.
According to a database compiled by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, based on data from the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, 446 Chinese aircraft, mostly fighter jets, have entered the Air Defense Identification Zone. (ADIZ). the 380 registered in all of 2020.
Last week, Taiwan announced plans to increase the military budget to an unprecedented 19.2 billion euros.
Source: TSF
