China urges cessation of US arms sale to Taiwan

China urged the United States to immediately stop its planned arms sale to Taiwan and refrain from sending "erroneous signals" to Taiwan secessionists, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Monday.

The US recently notified Congress it would submit an $8 billion arms deal package, featuring up to 66 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Viper multirole fighter jets, for informal review from the US State Department. If approved, the sale will be the one of the largest-ever arms deals between the US and Taiwan.

Ma said the US has boorishly interfered with China's domestic affairs and seriously violated the one-China principle, as well as severely damaged Sino-US ties and the peace and security of the Taiwan Straits.

"We resolutely appose, and the US should immediately stop all planed arms deal to Taiwan, and stop sending seriously erroneous signals to Taiwan secessionists," Ma said.

"Nobody should underestimate our will and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said, adding Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party, the ruling party of the island, has sacrificed the interests of the people to pay a hefty "protection fee" and become "pawns" of the US.

In the end, they will all be abandoned and be forever engraved on the wall of shame in history, he added.