China on Friday urged the United States to stop selling weapons to Taiwan, saying that any such deal would violate international law and harm “China’s sovereignty and security interests.”
“The Chinese government and people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose to outside interference,” reads a report from an unnamed author published in Xinhua, the official state news agency.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday approved an arms sale to Taiwan worth about $1.42 billion. It’s the first such deal with Taiwan since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency. The sales includes technical support for early warning radar, high speed anti-radiation missiles, torpedoes, and missile components.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the sales showed U.S. “support for Taiwan’s ability to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability” while maintaining the “One China” policy that recognizes Beijing over Taipei. (The U.S. is the sole arms supplier to Taiwan, a self-ruling island that China deems its own.)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told Xinhua Friday that the U.S. risked further damaging relations between it and China. The news agency also made note of recent U.S. Treasury Department sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering money on behalf of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“We strongly urge the United States to cease incorrect actions,” Lu said, “in order to avoid affecting bilateral cooperation.”