China condemns US arms sale to Taiwan, says it violates one-China principle

BEIJING: China on Thursday (December 18) condemned the United States' new arms sale to Taiwan, saying Washington had seriously violated the one-China principle and damaged peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

AI Brief

China accuses US of breaching the one-China principle with its largest-ever US$11.1B weapons package for Taiwan.
Beijing urges Washington to halt arms sales, warning the move undermines China's sovereignty and security.
Taiwan rejects Chinas claims as tensions rise amid growing military and diplomatic pressure from Beijing.

“The U.S. side has openly announced a large-scale program to procure advanced weapons, which constitutes a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, severely undermining China’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun in a regular press briefing.

Guo urged the U.S. “to immediately stop arming Taiwan” as he stated that the move will only backfire.

Taiwan's defense ministry said on Thursday the U.S. government was proceeding with an US$11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever U.S. weapons package for the island, which China views as its own territory.

The Taiwan arms sale announcement is the second under U.S. President Donald Trump's current administration, and comes as Beijing ramps up its military and diplomatic pressure against Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.