Ministry lodges stern representations with US over $11b arms sales plan to Taiwan

China's Defense Ministry lodged stern representations with the United States over its $11.1 billion arms sales plan to the Taiwan region, a spokesman said on Friday, warning that the US move seriously undermined the strategic mutual trust between China and the US.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin made the remarks in a statement after the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on Thursday that Washington had approved more than $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, widely seen as the largest US arms sales package to the island to date.

Jiang said the US announcement of a large-scale arms sales plan to China's Taiwan region seriously violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests.

The move, he said, "severely undermined China-US strategic mutual trust and sent a seriously wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."

"China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, and has lodged stern representations with the US," Jiang said, stressing that China's complete reunification is an irreversible historical trend that no force can stop.

The spokesman stated the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces were sacrificing the safety and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, using the hard-earned money of ordinary people to line the pockets of US arms dealers.

He criticized those separatist forces attempting to seek "independence" by force, which he said would only lead to their own destruction.

The US, Jiang noted, has repeatedly gone back on its word by indulging and supporting "Taiwan independence", a course of action that will "ultimately backfire".

The official urged the US side to genuinely honor its commitment not to support "Taiwan independence" and to immediately halt arms sales to Taiwan.

"The People's Liberation Army will continue to intensify combat readiness training and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to firmly thwart 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities and external interference," Jiang said.