US arms sale a ‘political stunt’
► The drone has little military value for Taiwan
China on Friday sharply criticized a reported plan by the US to sell military drones to the island of Taiwan, saying that the move seriously undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests. Mainland experts noted that the potential sale is more of a political stun that has little military value.
The US was considering selling the island at least four SeaGuardian surveillance drones, which have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 kilometers), much higher than the 160-mile range of the island’s current fleet of drones, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday harshly criticized the plan, calling the move a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, particularly the China-US Joint Communique on arms sales to Taiwan signed on August 17, 1982, stipulating that Washington must gradually
“The drone may not work well in the Taiwan Straits, where the Chinese mainland’s People’s Liberation Army holds air superiority.”
Li Jie
Beijing-based naval expert
reduce its arms sales to the island.
Despite the political seriousness of the potential sale, the MQ-9B SeaGuardian surveillance drone would play a very limited role for the Taiwan separatist authority as it wouldn’t match the island’s geographical position, said Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie.
The wide range of the drone originally designed for the US military may not work well in the Taiwan Straits, where the Chinese mainland’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) holds air superiority, Li told the Global Times on Friday. “The PLA can defend [against any action] with its advanced drone technologies, many of which have surpassed those of the US,” he said.
US Congress will likely approve the deal, which allows the Trump administration to play its “Taiwan card” to provoke the mainland, Li said. “Trump’s failures in fighting COVID-19 and saving the US economy have forced him to take a tougher attitude toward the Chinese mainland for re-election votes,” he noted.
Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Thursday stated China’s principled position on the Taiwan question in a phone call with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
In the rare phone conversation, Wei urged the US to improve the management and control of maritime risks and avoid taking dangerous moves that may escalate the situation.