Jiang Bin

When asked to comments on US arms sales to the island of Taiwan and US military personnel operating on the island, the Chinese Defense Ministry said on Monday that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this act. 

It has been reported that the US is transporting a new batch of M1A2 tanks to Taiwan and plans to increase its arms sales to the island over the next four years, with new sales possibly surpassing those of the first Trump administration. In addition, a former official of the US military said that about 500 US military personnel are operating in Taiwan, which is over 10 times the number previously disclosed by the US Congress. 

In response, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press conference on Monday that this is another solid piece of evidence that the US side and "Taiwan independence" separatist forces are making efforts to violate China's core interests, change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and escalate regional tensions. 

"Who is making provocations despite strong opposition from the Chinese side? Who is undermining cross-Straits stability and repeatedly stirring up trouble? We believe we all know the answers," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this act, Jiang noted.

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests, and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations, according to Jiang.

"We urge the US side to stop its military collusion with Taiwan in any form, otherwise it will get burnt for playing with fire and gain more harm than good," Jiang said, "We warn the DPP authorities that US weapons cannot save them, and soliciting external support for 'Taiwan independence' will only fail.

The PLA will continue to strengthen military training and combat readiness and enhance its capability to fight and win. "We will take resolute measures to thwart 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities and external interference," said Jiang.

Global Times