Arms sales to Taiwan
China warns US
BEIJING: Chinas defence ministry warned on Friday that US approval for sales of upgraded missile equipment to Taiwan severely undermined trust between the US and Chinese militaries, Xinhua reported. We urge the United States to respect Chinas core interests, the state news agency quoted spokesman Huang Xueping as saying.
The US side clings obstinately to the Bush administrations plan of arms sales to Taiwan, which severely undermines the mutual trust between the two militaries.
It also brings a severe obstacle to the improvement and development of China-US military ties, Huang said. We reserve the right of taking further actions.
His comments came after a US official in Taipei said the US Defence Department had approved the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan, part of a package passed by Congress more than a year ago. The US Defence Department awarded Lockheed Martin Corp the contract to provide Patriot missile defence systems to Taiwan as part of a big arms deal approved by Congress in 2008, said the spokesman with the American Institute, the US de facto embassy in Taipei.
The US Defence Department said in a statement on Wednesday the contract for Lockheed Martin involved basic missile tooling upgrades.
On Tuesday Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters: We urge the US to recognise the gravity of selling arms to Taiwan.
She added that Beijing had held serious consultations with Washington on the issue. The US should cancel any plans to sell arms to Taiwan and stop selling arms to Taiwan so as not to damage China-US relations, she said.
The Pentagon in October 2008 notified Congress of 6.5 billion dollars in arms sales to Taiwan, triggering stern condemnation from China.
The package included 330 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles worth up to 3.1 billion dollars.
The contract now awarded by the Pentagon, which totals 968.7 million dollars and also covers deals not involving Taiwan, appears to be for only part of the missile sale announced in 2008.
Taiwan and China have been governed independently since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.
Relations have improved since Taiwans current administration assumed power in May 2008, pursuing a programme of stepping up economic ties.
China warns US
BEIJING: Chinas defence ministry warned on Friday that US approval for sales of upgraded missile equipment to Taiwan severely undermined trust between the US and Chinese militaries, Xinhua reported. We urge the United States to respect Chinas core interests, the state news agency quoted spokesman Huang Xueping as saying.
The US side clings obstinately to the Bush administrations plan of arms sales to Taiwan, which severely undermines the mutual trust between the two militaries.
It also brings a severe obstacle to the improvement and development of China-US military ties, Huang said. We reserve the right of taking further actions.
His comments came after a US official in Taipei said the US Defence Department had approved the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan, part of a package passed by Congress more than a year ago. The US Defence Department awarded Lockheed Martin Corp the contract to provide Patriot missile defence systems to Taiwan as part of a big arms deal approved by Congress in 2008, said the spokesman with the American Institute, the US de facto embassy in Taipei.
The US Defence Department said in a statement on Wednesday the contract for Lockheed Martin involved basic missile tooling upgrades.
On Tuesday Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters: We urge the US to recognise the gravity of selling arms to Taiwan.
She added that Beijing had held serious consultations with Washington on the issue. The US should cancel any plans to sell arms to Taiwan and stop selling arms to Taiwan so as not to damage China-US relations, she said.
The Pentagon in October 2008 notified Congress of 6.5 billion dollars in arms sales to Taiwan, triggering stern condemnation from China.
The package included 330 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles worth up to 3.1 billion dollars.
The contract now awarded by the Pentagon, which totals 968.7 million dollars and also covers deals not involving Taiwan, appears to be for only part of the missile sale announced in 2008.
Taiwan and China have been governed independently since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.
Relations have improved since Taiwans current administration assumed power in May 2008, pursuing a programme of stepping up economic ties.
