China Foreign Ministry Urges US to Stop Official Contacts With Taiwan and Cease Arms Sales

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - China is calling upon the US to stop official contacts and end arms sales to Taiwan and fully abide by the one-China policy in order to avoid further damaging relations between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.

"China urges the United States to fully recognize the highly sensitive nature and serious harm of its arms sales to Taiwan, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communique, stop official contacts and military ties with and arms sales to Taiwan, oppose the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and their activities, so as to avoid causing further serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait", Hua said.

The Foreign Ministry issued the statement on the 39th anniversary of the US-China Communique on Arms Sales to Taiwan that was drafted to prevent the deterioration of relations over that issue. However, China and the United States have disagreed over the interpretation of the language of the communique.

This photo taken on January 4, 2021 shows Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers taking part in military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region

© AFP 2023 / STR

"In describing it, US and PRC [People's Republic of China] officials purposefully highlighted different aspects of the Communique and offered significantly different interpretations of the language", the State Department said on its webpage about the communique. "The malleability of the communique was intentional and, in fact, allowed it to be successful".

Hua cited the Trump administration's 11 arms deals with Taiwan in the amount of $18.3 billion as evidence the United States broke its commitment. She also referenced the Biden administration's first approved arms sale to Taiwan valued at $750 million.

The determination of China to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity should not be underestimated even though peaceful reunification is the "common aspiration" of all Chinese people, Hua said.