China's Foreign Ministry slammed the United States and Taiwan on Sunday after the US State Department approved a $385 million arms sale to Taiwan.
Chinese officials also criticized the United States for approving Taiwanese President Lai Ching-de's visit to Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam. China considers Taiwan to be its own sovereign territory and routinely opposes any recognition of Taiwan's democratically elected government.
The arms deal approved late last week will see Taiwan buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of F-16 fighter jet spare parts and radar components.
Chinese officials said the deal sends “wrong signals” about relations in the Indo-Pacific region. A separate statement said China “strongly condemns” Lai's travel to the United States.
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-toku visits Hawaii and Guam after approving arms agreement with US (Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
The United States has repeatedly expressed support for Taiwan through military agreements, operations, and diplomatic interactions with Taiwanese officials.
In recent years, there has been a tendency for U.S. officials like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to meet with Taiwanese officials, only for Beijing to respond with a sword-like tremor.
Pelosi made an unusual visit to Taiwan in 2021, and China responded by conducting live-fire military exercises around the island. Such training was repeated in 2023 when then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with former Taiwanese leader Kevin McCarthy in California.
The administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping has regularly criticized the United States for its friendly relationship with Taiwan. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque//File Photo)
President-elect Trump has vowed that his administration will continue the strong relationship between the United States and Taiwan. President Trump's picks for ambassador to the United Nations, national security adviser, and most importantly secretary of state are considered by many to be “China hawks.”
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President Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to be secretary of state last month. Mr. Rubio has been a leading voice in the Senate to crack down on China and impose sanctions.
President Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to head the State Department. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Mr. Rubio said he would work with Mr. Trump to “continue our support for Taiwan.” He has also allied with President Trump in advocating for increased defense spending for Taiwan, a view shared by security experts but not necessarily by the majority of Taiwanese. Not really.
Reuters contributed to this report.
