TOKYO, Feb 22 (KUNA) -- China on Thursday urged the US to cease arms sales to Taiwan, sever military contact with the island, and stop creating new factors that could cause tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the comments at a press conference in Beijing as the Pentagon said the US Department of State has approved the potential sale to Taiwan of advanced tactical data link system upgrade planning worth USD 75 million. "The US arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiquأ©s, especially the August 17 Communiquأ© of 1982," Mao said.
"Such sales undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China always firmly opposes them," she said, adding that China urges the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle. The spokeswoman also warned that will take strong and resolute measures to firmly defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China and Taiwan separated after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the island as its territory. The US ended formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, but has remained its arms supplier. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it had requested that Washington upgrade the Taiwanese military's command and control system and intelligence surveillance system data links, to enhance the effectiveness of the existing common operational picture and establish military interoperability, according to the Taipei-based Central News Agency. (end) mk.hb