Toggle navigation. China criticizes US weaponry sales to Taiwan and President Lai’s US trip. China’s Foreign Ministry stated that the sale sends “a wrong signal” to Taiwanese independence groups and damages US-China relations. Photo: Reuters. Updated December 1, 2024, 02:29 PM. FacebookTelegram BEIJING — On December 1, China pledged “resolute countermeasures” in response to a recently approved US arms transfer to Taiwan, and objected to the US about arranging for the democratically elected island’s president to transit through US territory. The US State Department has cleared a potential sale to Taiwan of replacement parts and support for F-16 jets and radars worth an estimated US$385 million (S$517 million), the Pentagon announced on November 29. The transaction was disclosed only hours before Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te embarked for a visit to Taipei’s three in the Pacific, with stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.

China’s Foreign Ministry stated that the sale sends “a wrong signal” to Taiwan independence groups and damages US-China relations. In a second statement, the ministry stated that it resolutely opposes any official contacts between the United States and Taiwan, and “strongly condemns” the US for arranging the passage. China, which regards democratically controlled Taiwan as its own territory and the most critical issue in its dealings with Washington, despises Mr Lai, labelling him a “separatist”.

Despite the lack of official diplomatic connections between Washington and Taipei, the United States is legally required to supply Taiwan with the means to defend itself, much to Beijing’s chagrin.