Beijing has said that the American weapons supplies to the self-governing island violate China’s sovereignty and security interests
The Pentagon has announced that it has approved its first arms sales to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump took office in January. China, which views the self-governing island as part of its territory, has called the move an infringement on its sovereignty.
The proposed deal will see Taipei spend $330 million to acquire spare parts for the American-made aircraft that it operates, the US Department of War said in a statement on Thursday.
The purchase should help Taiwan with “maintaining the operational readiness of the… fleet of F-16, C-130” and other planes, the statement read.
The spokeswoman for Taiwan’s presidential office, Karen Kuo, welcomed the approval, claiming that the “deepening of the Taiwan-US security partnership is an important cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
According to Taipei’s Defense Ministry, the sale of the US aircraft parts will “take effect” within a month.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a briefing that Beijing “deplores and opposes” American arms sales to Taiwan, which go against China’s security interests and “send a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
The Taiwan issue is “the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” the spokesman warned.
Officially, the US supports the One-China policy, stating that Taiwan, which has maintained de facto self-rule since 1949 but never officially declared independence from Beijing, is an integral part of the country.
However, Washington has maintained contact with the authorities in Taipei and promised to defend the island militarily in the event of a conflict with the mainland.
China has said repeatedly that its goal is “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, but has warned that it will not hesitate to use force should Taipei formally declare independence.
In September, the Washington Post reported that Trump had blocked a $400 million arms deal with Taipei ahead of his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Earlier this month, Trump told the CBS TV program 60 Minutes that his talks with Xi, which took place in late October in South Korea, focused on trade, while the Taiwan issue “never came up.”
