China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan

BEIJING - China on Sunday strongly urged the US to immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan and cease military contacts with the island, to avoid further damages to the relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Wu Qian, a spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in an address on the US State Department's approval of a plan to sell weapons worth 180 million US dollars to Taiwan. This move by the US side seriously violated the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between China and the United States and rudely interfered in the domestic affairs of China, to which China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, Wu said. It also sent a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority and "Taiwan independence" separatists, seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security, and seriously jeopardized the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to Wu. "National rejuvenation and reunification are the aspirations of the people and an irresistible trend of the times, and no one and no force can stop it," he said. The People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to resolutely safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Wu said.