China vows to act if US proceeds with Taiwan arms deal

CHINA has vowed to retaliate if the United States proceeds with the sale of advanced weaponry to Taiwan worth more than a billion dollars.

The statement from China’s defence ministry gave no specifics, but the development marks a further deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington that have hit their lowest ebb in decades.

The statement demanded the cancellation of the sale and an end to all interactions between the US and Taiwanese militaries in order to

“avoid serious repercussions for relations between China and the US and their armed forces and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.

Failure to do so would “compel the Chinese side to fight back resolutely,” the statement said.

The US State Department announced on Wednesday that it had given the green light to the sale of 135 precision land attack missiles, associated equipment and training to Taiwan to improve its defence capabilities.

The missiles are made by Boeing.