Chinese defense ministry condemns U.S. arms sales to Taiwan

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday condemned U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region, reiterating that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.

Spokesperson Wu Qian made the remarks in response to a media query about the recent U.S. announcements of military assistance and arms sales to the Taiwan region.

The White House on Dec. 21 announced military assistance worth 571.3 million U.S. dollars to Taiwan. The U.S. Department of Defense announced on the same day that the State Department has approved 295 million U.S. dollars worth of arms sales to the island.

Wu stressed that these arms sales to Taiwan have severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, which are the political foundations of China-U.S. relations.

He criticized the United States for violating its political commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" and for pushing Taiwan toward the danger of war.

"We urged the U.S. side to cease providing military assistance and arms sales to Taiwan immediately, and to cut its military ties with the region," he said. ■