BEIJING: China reiterated its strong opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan on Wednesday (May 13), calling on Washington to honour its commitments ahead of US President Donald Trump’s arrival for a summit in Beijing.
The issue of democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, and weapons sales to Taipei, is certain to be discussed during two days of meetings this week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties. In December, the Trump administration announced an US$11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, the largest ever.
Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwan is an internal issue and a matter for the Chinese people.
“We firmly oppose the United States engaging in any form of military ties with China’s Taiwan region, and firmly oppose the United States selling weapons to China’s Taiwan region. This position is consistent and unequivocal,” she said in Beijing.
Taiwan is the “core of China’s core interests” and honouring the commitments made by successive US administrations are “international obligations that the US side is duty-bound to fulfil”, Zhang added.
The US officially takes no position on Taiwan’s sovereignty under Washington’s “One China” policy, but acknowledges, without accepting, Beijing’s position that the island is China’s.
