China on Tuesday vowed to take countermeasures after the United States (US) announced a plan to sell $100 million worth of Patriot missile upgrades to Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular press conference on Tuesday that Washington’s arms sales to “the Taiwan region of China seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués.” he further criticised the deal for “gravely” undermining “China’s sovereignty and security interests” and “severely” harming China-US relations and “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
The spokesperson also urged the US to “immediately revoke the arms sales plan,” “stop [future] arms sales” to Taiwan, and end its military ties with the self-governing island. Without further elaborating on countermeasures, Zhao said that “China will take legitimate and strong measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty and security interests.”
Unnamed “experts” cited by Chinese state-owned media house Global Times said that Washington’s arms sale were only “leeching money from Taiwan” and “will not bring safety to ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionists.” Instead, Chinese experts said that such deals will only “push the island further toward catastrophe.”
We welcome @StateDept's approval of a US$100 million arms sale to #Taiwan. The decision demonstrates the #US government's commitment to the #TaiwanRelationsAct & #SixAssurances. It also supports the maintenance of our defensive capabilities, as well as regional peace & stability. https://t.co/FlDLSUZsYK
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) February 8, 2022
The backlash from Beijing comes after the US approved a $100 million deal with Taiwan on Monday that was made by former President Donald Trump in 2019. The deal upgrades their existing Patriot Air Defence missile system, bolstering the self-governed island’s security capability that China claims as its own territory.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry had welcomed Washington’s approval of the deal and said that it expected the deal to come into effect within a month. Moreover, the Foreign Ministry said the deal will help Taiwan maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity “in the face of China’s continued military expansion and provocative actions.”
Taiwan is becoming a critical flashpoint in China-US relations. America’s deal with Taiwan comes after lawmakers in the US proposed a bill that changes Taiwan’s de facto embassy, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office’s name to “Taiwan Representative Office,” a move many believe will not go well with China.
Moreover, the lower house of the US Congress passed the “America COMPETES Act of 2022” last week that aims to increase America’s competitiveness with China, particularly in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.
Meanwhile, for its own part, Taiwanese President Tsai has made the modernisation of the armed forces a top priority of Taiwan’s government. The parliament also continues to increase its defence budget every year in the face of rising aggression from China.