China Pledges ‘Legitimate, Necessary Countermeasures’ to US Weapons Sale to Taiwan

A day after the Biden administration announced approval of a large new weapons sale to Taiwan, the Chinese government condemned the move and promised “countermeasures” in response to it.

“Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. The United States interferes in China’s internal affairs and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests by selling arms to the Taiwan region,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Thursday statement.

“It runs counter to international law and basic principles in international relations, and violates the one-China principle and provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique,” the ministry said, adding that “it sends wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, and severely jeopardizes China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

The ministry added that “China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of the development of the situation.”

China regards Taiwan as a province in rebellion, and in the three joint communiques issued by the US and China between 1972 and 1982 as part of their normalization of ties, the US acceded to Beijing’s position. The government in Taipei, formally called the Republic of China, is all that remains of the republican government after the 1949 communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. Both sides claim to be the sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people.

On Wednesday, the US Defense Logistics Agency announced the State Department had approved the potential sale of $750 million in weapons systems to Taiwan, including forty M109A6 Paladin self-propelled artillery systems. Superficially similar to a tank, the Paladins have massive 155-millimeter cannons that can lob a shell up to 40 miles away.

The deal will still have to be approved by Congress, which typically does so once such deals are approved by the State Department. The deal will be the first under the Biden administration.

Source: Agencies