China criticises latest US sales to Taiwan
The Chinese military has criticised the US decision to sell approximately $180 million of military equipment to Taiwan and has urged Washington to break military ties with the island nation, which Beijing refuses to recognise as a sovereign state.
Speaking at a press conference on 24 May, Senior Col Wu Qian, Director General of the Information Office at the MND, said: ‘The US act is a grave violation of the One China principle and the three China-US joint communiques. It seriously interferes in China’s internal affairs.’
‘The new-round US arms sales to Taiwan sends out seriously wrong signals to the Democratic Progressive Party authorities and Taiwan independence secessionist forces, seriously undermines China’s sovereignty and security, the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as the China-US military relations’, Qian warned.
The comments reflect the increasingly bellicose stance adopted by Beijing towards Taiwan and the US in recent weeks. However, Beijing frequently protests against US arms sales to Taiwan: in July 2019, for instance, China criticised a $2.22 billion package for M1A2 Abrams tanks and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
More from Defence Notes
-
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.