Washington called on to halt possible arms sale to Taiwan

Washington should revoke immediately a possible military equipment sale to Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, adding that China will take valid and powerful measures to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests.

Zhao made the remark after the United States Department of State approved the possible military sale "for an estimated cost of $100 million" to Taiwan, according to a statement on Monday by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense.

The agency said it delivered on the same day the required certification notifying the US Congress of the possible sale, which consists of "equipment and services to support participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program and Field Surveillance Program for five years".

The US selling weapons to China's Taiwan region seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the one issued on August 17, 1982, Zhao said at a daily news conference.

Voicing China's "firm opposition and strong condemnation" of the possible sale, Zhao said it seriously undermines China's sovereignty and security interests, China-US ties and peace across the Taiwan Straits.

"China urges the US to observe the one-China principle and the stipulation in the three China-US communiques, ... and stop its arms sale to and military contacts with Taiwan," Zhao said.

Also responding on Tuesday, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said the Democratic Progressive Party authority is conspiring with foreign forces to seek "Taiwan independence" by "spending hard-won money of people in Taiwan on the weapons".

"The DPP authority ... will not change the fate of 'Taiwan independence', which is doomed to fail," Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said. "It will only heighten tension and turbulence across the Straits, and push Taiwan into disaster step by step."

In another development, Zhao warned Lithuania on Tuesday against its "confusion of rights and wrongs" and its "attempt to draw other countries in against China", after Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told media that China's "coercion" and "trade sanctions" will be the main issue of his visit to Australia.

China has always acted in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organization, and accusations of "China's coercion "are "totally fabricated", Zhao said.

It is very clear who is wrong and responsible for the current difficulty of China-Lithuania ties, and China's reaction to protect its legitimate rights and the justice of the international community is totally reasonable and lawful, Zhao added.

"Lithuania should face the truth, correct its wrongs and come back to the right track of adhering to the one-China principle," Zhao said.