China vows 'resolute countermeasures' after US arms sale to Taiwan
World
The US State Department approved the potential sale, worth an estimated $385 million
(Reuters) – China vowed "resolute countermeasures" on Sunday to a recently approved US arms sale to Taiwan, saying it had lodged a complaint over the sale, which it said seriously infringes on China's sovereignty.
The US State Department approved the potential sale, worth an estimated $385 million, of spare parts and support for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The sale was announced hours before Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te left on a visit to Taipei's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific, with stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.
The sale sends "a wrong signal" to Taiwan independence forces and undermines US-China relations, China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and the most important issue in its relations with Washington, strongly dislikes Lai, calling him a "separatist".
The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, to the constant anger of Beijing.
Taiwan rejects China's claims of sovereignty.
The United States is bound by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, to the constant anger of Beijing.
China has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year, and security sources have told Reuters that Beijing may hold more to coincide with Lai's tour of the Pacific, which includes stopovers in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale consisted of $320 million in spare parts and support for F-16 fighters and Active Electronically Scanned Array Radars and related equipment.
The State Department also approved the potential sale to Taiwan of improved mobile subscriber equipment and support for an estimated $65 million, the Pentagon said. The principal contractor for the $65 million sale is General Dynamics.
Taiwan's defense ministry said it expected the sales to "take effect" within a month and that the equipment will help maintain the F-16 fleet's readiness and "build up a credible defense force".
"Taiwan and the United States will continue to strengthen their security partnership and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region," it said in a statement.
Last month, the United States announced a potential $2 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, including the delivery for the first time to the island of an advanced air defense missile system battle tested in Ukraine.
