Beijing – China pledged “resolute countermeasures” on December 1 in response to a recently approved US arms sale to Taiwan and criticized the United States for allowing Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to transit through US territory.
The US State Department approved the sale, valued at approximately US$385 million (S$515 million), which includes spare parts and support for Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets and radar systems, the Pentagon announced on November 29. The announcement coincided with President Lai’s departure for a visit to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific, with planned stops in Hawaii and Guam.
China’s foreign ministry condemned the arms sale, calling it a “wrong signal” to Taiwan independence advocates and a move that undermines US-China relations. It also issued a separate statement strongly opposing any official exchanges between the US and Taiwan and “strongly condemning” President Lai’s transit through US territory.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, considers President Lai a “separatist” and has repeatedly expressed anger over US support for the democratically governed island.
Despite Beijing’s objections, US law requires Washington to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities, even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, further straining the already tense relations between the two global powers.