China urges US to immediately stop arming Taiwan

BEIJING -- A Chinese spokesperson on Thursday urged the United States to immediately stop arming China's Taiwan region and sending erroneous signals to separatist forces advocating for "Taiwan independence."

In response to a query concerning recent US plans to sell arms to Taiwan, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, urged the United States to honor its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" with concrete actions.

The repeated sales of weapons by the United States to the Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, particularly the August 17 Communique of 1982, Chen said, noting that these actions severely infringe upon China's sovereignty and security interests.

"'Taiwan independence' poses the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and is a major source of instability in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Since Lai Ching-te took office as the island's leader, Taiwan authorities have obstinately adhered to a "Taiwan independence" stance and attempted to seek "independence" and prevent reunification through military build-up while continuously escalating cross-Strait hostility and seeking support from external forces.

Chen called on the Taiwan compatriots to recognize the true nature of the Taiwan authorities, which claim to be "protecting Taiwan" but are actually harming the island.

The Taiwan compatriots must understand the inherent dangers of pursuing "Taiwan independence," as it will inevitably lead to war, Chen said, urging them to resolutely oppose and stop Lai's actions.

"We have the firm will, full confidence and strong capability to crush the provocations of 'Taiwan independence' and the interference of external forces," he said.

The military build-up of the Taiwan authorities, led by Lai, will only lead to their own destruction, Chen said.