China warns US: Taiwan is “first red line that cannot be crossed” in bilateral relations

Taipei [Taiwan], Dec 23: Following the White House announcement of arms sales and assistance to Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry said that the “Taiwan issue” is the core of China’s interests and the “first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” Taiwan News reported.

Further, the ministry also accused the US of “playing with fire.”

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the latest US arms package to Taiwan, stating that it “seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, especially the ‘August 17′ communique, seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty and security interests, and seriously violates the US leaders’ commitment not to support ‘Taiwan independence.”

The spokesperson claimed that Washington’s actions sent a “seriously wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

Highlighting the severe consequences, the ministry said Washington’s use of force to support Taiwan’s independence “will only backfire, and its ‘using Taiwan to contain China’ is doomed to fail.”

Beijing called on the US to immediately stop arms shipments to Taiwan “stop its dangerous actions that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

The ministry emphasised that China would take all necessary measures to protect its national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, as per Taiwan News.

In the communique issued on August 17, 1982, the US committed that its arms sales to Taiwan “will not exceed, either in qualitative or quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China,” adding that Washington intends to gradually reduce its arms sales to Taiwan.

However, in an internal memo on the same day, former President Ronald Reagan stated that the discussions leading up to the communique were “premised on the clear understanding that any reduction of such arms sales depends upon peace in the Taiwan Straits.”

According to Taiwan News, he emphasised that US policy on arms sales to Taiwan would be contingent upon China’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue.

On Friday, the White House announced USD 571.3 million in military weapons and training for Taiwan, while the Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported the sale of USD 265 million worth of command, control, communications, and computers (C4) modernization and related equipment to Taiwan.

In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saturday thanked the US government for “continuing to resolutely fulfill its security commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and the ‘Six Assurances.’” The ministry pointed out that this was the 19th time the Biden administration had announced arms sales to Taiwan.