China firmly opposes US arms sales to China's Taiwan region

BEIJING -- A Chinese defense ministry spokesman on Wednesday expressed China's strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to US arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

Spokesman Wu Qian made the comments after a US statement said the US State Department had approved a request to provide the recertification package for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles to Taiwan for an estimated cost of 620 million US dollars.

The US move, a flagrant violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, has constituted serious harm to China's sovereignty and security, and gross interference in China's internal affairs, the spokesman said.

"China strongly urges the United States to immediately stop selling arms to China's Taiwan region to avoid further damage to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and the military ties between China and the United States," he said.

The spokesman also told Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority that reunification conforms with the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and the will of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to firmly protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, he said.