Beijing warns against US arms sale to Taiwan

China’s foreign minister warned that US plans to sell $6.4bn (€4.6bn) worth of arms to Taiwan will harm Chinese efforts to unify peacefully with the island, the ministry said, after China suspended US military exchanges and threatened unprecedented sanctions against American defence companies.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the planned weapons sales to self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, were a “crude interference in China’s internal affairs” and would hurt its national security.

Beijing’s strong response to Friday’s US announcement of the weapons sales, while not entirely unexpected, was swift and indicated that it plans to put up a greater challenge than usual as it deals with the most sensitive topic in US-China relations.

China’s Defence Ministry said the arms sales would cause “severe harm” to overall US-China cooperation. Vice ministerial-level talks on arms control and strategic security were postponed.

Defence Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping said the Chinese military would fight any move to hurt the country’s sovereignty.

“We will never give in or compromise in this issue,” Mr Huang said in a statement.

In comments made during a visit to Cyprus yesterday, Foreign Minister Yang urged Washington to respect China’s interests and revoke the arms sale decision immediately to avoid undermining bilateral relations, the Foreign Ministry said.

He said the US sales “jeopardised China’s national security and China’s peaceful reunification efforts”.

The warning came as the US seeks Beijing’s help on issues including the global financial crisis and nuclear standoffs in North Korea and Iran.

Tensions were already high after recent US comments on internet freedom and a dispute between Google and China, as well as President Barack Obama’s plan to meet with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama this year.