Beijing says US should not sell arms to Taiwan

The United States should stop selling arms to Taiwan and not have military links with the island, or it will bear all the consequences as China will certainly make a strong response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday.

Hua made the remarks in an online statement after the Trump administration informally approved an $8 billion arms sale to Taiwan involving dozens of new F-16 fighter jets, CNN quoted administration officials and others familiar with the matter as saying.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions between China and the US because of continuing trade frictions. Congress was notified informally of the potential sale on Thursday, and it's expected to be reviewed and approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, it said.

Beijing firmly opposes such the move, and has lodged solemn representations to Washington, Hua said.

The US selling weapons to Taiwan interferes in the internal affairs of China and undermines security interests of the country, she added.

The spokeswoman emphasized that the Taiwan question is related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and concerning core interests of the country.

China demands that the US fully recognize the high sensitivity and serious harm of the relevant issue and abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques.

Also on Friday, in response to Trump's saying in an interview that he would speak to President Xi Jinping "very soon", Hua said that the heads of states of the two countries have always maintained communication through meetings, phone calls and messages.