China rips U.S. arms sales to Taiwan

Ch i na on Friday strongly protested a U.S. plan to sell $1.4 billion worth of arms to Taiwan and demanded that the deal be canceled.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the sale would severely damage China’s sovereignty and secu- rity interests and run counter to Washington’s commitment to a “one-China” policy.

He asked the U.S. to stop the sale to avoid harming relations with Beijing.

“We stress that nobody could sway our determina- tion to uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Lu said. “We oppose any external interference in our internal affairs.”

The U.S. State Department approved the arms sale on Thursday, the first such deal with Taiwan since President Donald Trump took office.

The sale was broadly welcomed on Taiwan as a show of U.S. support, despite con- cerns about the strain on finances and Beijing’s angry response. Taiwan’s defense department said the sale would enhance the island’s self-defense capability.

China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has long opposed any arms sales to the self-governing island. It insists on eventual reunification, through force if necessary.

The U.S. State Department’s approval of the sale — the first since December 2015— follows a tense year between China and Taiwan.

Beijing cut ties with the government of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen shortly after she took office in May 2016 and has been ratcheting up diplomatic and economic pressure. Her Democratic Progressive Party says it wants stable relations with Beijing, but hasn’t followed her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, in endorsing the “one-China” principle.