China decided to take measures against the United States over the sale of weapons to Taiwan and impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday, adding that China would continue to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty.
On February 8, the US authorized a $100 million deal with Taiwan for the maintenance of US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
“In order to protect the sovereignty and security interests of China, and in accordance with the provisions of the ‘Foreign Sanctions Prevention Act’, the Chinese government has decided to take countermeasures in response to the actions of the American military-industrial companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, which have been involved in supply Taiwan with American weapons for a long time,” Wang told a briefing.
China calls on the US to stop selling arms to Taiwan and follow all the agreements, concluded by Beijing and Washington, Wang added. According to him, China will take all necessary measures to protect its security and sovereignty.
Earlier, spokesperson of the Chinese Defense Ministry Wu Qian had stated that selling arms to Taiwan constitutes a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs, which Beijing strongly condemns, calling on Washington to halt ties with Taiwan’s armed forces.
“US arms sales to Taiwan severely infringe on the “One China” principle and three joint US-China communiques… This represents a flagrant interference in China’s internal affairs and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests,” Wu said in a statement.
He added that Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan “erode relations between China and the US as well as between the armed forces of the two countries, endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, China expresses its strong resentment and firmly opposes it.”
Beijing is further urging Washington to revoke the deal on selling arms to Taipei and cut off any ties with Taiwan’s military.
“There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. China demands that the US immediately cancel the aforementioned plan to sell arms to Taiwan,” Wu stressed, adding that the Chinese army will take every effort to uphold the nation’s sovereignty.
“The People’s Liberation Army of China will take all necessary measures to vigorously defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and unwaveringly thwart any external interference,” Wu said.
Earlier this year, China had criticized the US and its ally Japan for interfering in its domestic affairs after the two held virtual security talks focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.
American and Japanese foreign and defense ministers accused China of being involved in “destabilizing activities” in the region. They said they were concerned about Beijing’s maritime claims and policies toward the Uyghur ethnic minority, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“We firmly reject and express our strong dissatisfaction with claims and actions of the US, Japan and Australia, who have been interfering blatantly in China’s internal affairs and fabricating lies to discredit China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Wang said China has lodged a strong protest with the three countries, who he said have banded together to threaten other nations in the region with military power, contrary to their claim that they are standing up to pressure.
- Via Sputnik News Agency
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