China demands US cancel $330m arms deal with Taiwan

Beijing: China on Tuesday asked the US to cancel the proposed $330-million arms deal with Taiwan, warning “severe damage” to bilateral ties, peace and stability in the region.

China views self-ruling Taiwan, an island which has been independent since 1950, as a rebel region that must be reunited with the mainland — by force if necessary.

Amid the rising tensions with China over the on-going trade war and sanctions imposed on the Chinese military procurement unit for Russian Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 missiles, the US on Monday said it has approved the sale of spare parts and related support for Taiwan’s US-made F-16 fighters and other military aircraft in a $330 million contract.


Washington justified the sale saying that will improve Taiwan’s ability to defend itself without altering the basic military balance in Asia, where the US is locking horns with Beijing for strategic dominance.

Reacting angrily against the US arms sale to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media here on Tuesday that Washington should cancel the deal immediately.

The sale violated international law and the “basic norms governing international relations,” Geng said without elaborating.

“We urge the US side to... immediately cancel this arms sale plan, and stop military contact with Taiwan so as to avoid severe damage to China-US ties, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and bilateral cooperation in major fields,” he said