China Warns US Over Taiwan Arms Sales, Risks Direct Confrontation

WASHINGTON, June 27. /TASS/. The US risks provoking a direct confrontation or even a conflict with China if it adopts the wrong approach to the Taiwan issue, the Chinese embassy in Washington warned, commenting on Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Michael Desombre’s statements on arms sales to Taiwan.

"China’s position of firm opposition to US arms sales to the Taiwan region is consistent and clear," embassy spokesperson Liu Chang told TASS. According to him, "the Taiwan question is the most important issue in [the] China-US relations and has a bearing on the overall situation." "If handled well, the bilateral relationship can remain generally stable, allowing both sides to devote more energy to mutually beneficial cooperation. If mishandled, the two countries could clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly dangerous situation," the diplomat emphasized.

"China hopes that the US side will take concrete actions to safeguard the stable development of [the] China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Liu Chang added.

Desombre said on June 25 that the US is insisting that Taiwan increase its budget allocations for the purchase of American weapons and military equipment. The diplomat declined to specify when the US administration might decide to transfer the approximately $14 billion arms package to Taiwan that had previously been approved by Congress. He added that Washington would not consider Beijing’s protests in this matter.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taiwan has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists took power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 and established relations with China. While recognizing the one-China policy, Washington continues to maintain contacts with the Taipei government. The US is Taiwan's main arms supplier. The Chinese Foreign Ministry estimates that the total amount of US military supplies to the island has exceeded $70 billion over the years. The current Washington administration has promised to speed up the delivery of arms and military equipment to Taiwan.