The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Beijing had stopped arms control talks with the US over continued US arms sales to Taiwan and other steps that go against China’s “core interests.”
The US and China held consultations on arms control back in November 2023. A reporter asked Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian about comments from US officials suggesting China declined to hold another round.
“Over the past weeks and months, despite China’s firm opposition and repeated protest, the US has continued to sell arms to Taiwan and done things that severely undermine China’s core interests and the mutual trust between China and the US. This has seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms control consultations,” Lin said.
“Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the US on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation. The responsibility fully lies with the US,” the spokesman added.
Lin said China stands ready for arms control talks “in line with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, but the US must respect China’s core interests and create necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange.”
The US has stepped up military and diplomatic support for Taiwan in recent years, ignoring frequent warnings from Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, that the issue is the “first red line” in US-China relations that must not be crossed.
Since the November 2023 arms control talks, the US has approved several new arms sales for Taiwan, including one last month worth $360 million for hundreds of armed drones and related missile equipment. President Biden also signed a $95 billion foreign military aid bill that included $8 billion for military aid for Taiwan and other spending in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for war with China.
The US has always sold weapons to Taiwan since severing diplomatic relations in 1979 but just began providing weapons using US-taxpayer-funded military aid last year, a step the Chinese military warned would be “absolutely intolerable.”
China needs to leave Taiwan alone. It has not been part of China since 1890s so let it be.
And yet, when the time came, it was mainland China that U.S. recognized as the legitimate government and not Taipei. Funny how priority changes for a fist full of dollar.
You make me ponder, my friend and indeed consider things, in a different way…
During all of its modern history, that island needed the protection by foreign powers. Spain, Netherlands, Great Britain, US, France, Germany. It the absence of such protection, the leaders of that island depended on protection from the Chinese Empire.
Nothing has changed. Today that protection has shifted again to a "western" power. Us.
That island doesn’t need any protection from anyone. And when time comes, there isn’t anything U.S. can do about the invasion of that island.
Read some history before you show your ignorance
Without his ignorance, what's left of Mr. Burns in Hell?
Arrogance…!
Indeed! Hawaii was not part of the US until 1898, so leave it alone!
For many decades before 1890, there was no independent, sovereign Taiwan-"Formosa".
The name "Formosa" was given to the island by shipwrecked Portuguese sailors. Then Spain and the Dutch controlled its trade with the outside world. Koxxinga who drove the Dutch out, was loyal to the Chinese Emperor whose protection he needed. In 1683, the island became a dependency of the Chinese empire until 1895. From 1895 until 1945 the island was occupied by Japan.
During modern history, there has never been a truly sovereign Taiwan. The island was controlled by European powers (Spain, Netherlands and later: Britain, US, Germany and Japan) or was a dependency of the Chinese Empire.
Taiwan's current claim of independence is 100% political, namely anti-communist, but is not based in its history. Its current form of semi-independence is protected by our nuclear arsenal.
Trusting the americans is like complaining to the mother-in-law about your wife.
I think it might be more stupid. The other choice is less likely to be as deadly.
Xi: You want to discuss how I cut my own throat?
“Over the past weeks and months, despite China’s firm opposition and repeated protest, the US has continued to sell arms to Taiwan and done things that severely undermine China’s core interests and the mutual trust between China and the US. This has seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms control consultations,” Lin said.
That was generous. Seems like years to me.