US arms sale to Taiwan creates severe obstacles for military exchanges
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Xinhua, September 22, 2011
China on Thursday said the latest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan created "severe obstacles" for the two countries' normal military-to-military exchanges.
"Rather than working with China to consolidate and expand the positive growth of bilateral military ties, the United States again announced its plan to sell arms to Taiwan, which will create severe obstacles for normal military-to-military exchanges," Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Thursday.
Geng's comments came after the U.S. government on Wednesday notified Congress of its latest decision to sell 5.85 billion U.S.dollars of arms to Taiwan, including an upgrade of Taiwan's 145 F-16A/B fighter jets.
The fresh arms sale announcement is 20 months away from the Pentagon's decision in January 2010 to sell a nearly 6.4-billion-U.S.-dollar arms package to Taiwan, an inalienable part of China.
After the last sale, China cut off some military exchange programs with the United States.
"In recent years, China-U.S. military relations have never broken the vicious circle of 'development-stagnation-redevelopment-restagnation," Geng said, attributing it to U.S. moves to sell arms to Taiwan regardless of China's repeated resolute opposition.
Starting from 2011, China-U.S. military relations have warmed with multi-field exchanges and cooperation, Geng said.
As a sign of the warming of ties, senior U.S. defense leaders, including former U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen visited China this year while Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China Chen Bingde travelled to the United States in May.
"Reality has proved that the United States should be held fully accountable for damaging China-U.S. military relations," Geng said.
Stressing the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interest, Geng said Chinese military's position on safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity is resolute and clear.
He said U.S.' incorrect decision to sell arms to Taiwan will unavoidably undermine China-U.S. military relations.
"We strongly urge the U.S. side to take immediate and effective measures to remove the negative impacts and respect China's core interest and honor its solemn commitment on Taiwan issue by practical actions," Geng said.
He called on the United States to put an end to arms sale to Taiwan and cut its military links with Taiwan in order to avoid the further damage to China-U.S. military ties.
Guan Youfei, deputy chief of China's Defense Ministry's foreign affairs office was instructed on Thursday morning to summon the acting U.S. military attache to China and lodge strong protest over a new round of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
