The Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday slammed the US for providing Taiwan with a $345 million weapons package that’s being drawn from Pentagon stockpiles, an unprecedented form of support for Taipei since the US and China normalized relations in 1979.
“The US’s act of providing military aid to China’s Taiwan region grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests, and gravely threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. China is firmly opposed to this and has lodged stern representations with the US,” said Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Tan Kefei.
According to a Chinese Defense Ministry press release, Tan repeated China’s position that Taiwan “is a red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations.” Since Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979, it has sold weapons to Taiwan but has not financed the sales or provided arms free of charge.
The US is sending the weapons to Taiwan using the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), the primary way the Biden administration has been arming Ukraine. The White House announced the $345 million arms package but did not detail its contents. US officials speaking anonymously to AP said it would include man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), firearms, missiles, and intelligence and surveillance capabilities.
Tan called for the US to cut all military ties with Taiwan. “We urge the US side to stop all forms of military collusion with Taiwan and avoid going further down the wrong and dangerous path. The wheel of history rolls on towards China’s reunification, and it will not be stopped by any individual or any force,” he said.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included $1 billion in PDA for Taiwan, and the new weapons package marked the first time the administration drew from those funds. When President Biden signed the 2023 NDAA into law, China responded by launching major military drills around Taiwan.
Source: AntiWar.
