Beijing: China said Thursday it strongly opposed and condemned the United States' announcement of an arms and military equipment sale to Taiwan worth about USD 11 billion, insisting Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.
According to Kuwait News Agency, China Central Television (CCTV) quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun as saying the planned sale of advanced weapons "blatantly violates" the One China principle and breaches the three China-US joint communiques.
It seriously harms China's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends "wrong signals" to pro-independence forces, he explained.
US support for "Taiwan independence" through arms supplies would backfire, and that attempts to use Taiwan to contain China are doomed to fail, Guo pointed out.
He warned that separatist rejection of reunification only pushes cross-strait relations toward a dangerous risk of armed conflict.
Separately, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the new US arms sales are a blatant interference in China's internal affairs, urging Washington to immediately stop arming the island and supporting separatists.
The Taiwan issue is at the core of China's vital interests and the first "red line" that cannot be crossed in China-US relations, he said, calling on US leaders to honor their commitments and act practically.
He also described Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities as "disrupting peace, creating crises, and inciting war," warning of a rigid response if they cross China's red lines.