China’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at the US and Taiwan on Sunday after the US State Department approved a $385 million arms sale to the island.
Chinese officials also criticized the US for allowing Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to visit Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. China considers Taiwan its sovereign territory and routinely objects to any validation of the island’s democratically elected government.
The arms deal approved late last week will see Taiwan buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of spare parts for F-16 fighter jets and components for radars.
Chinese officials said the deal sent a “wrong signal” about Indo-Pacific relations. A separate statement said China “strongly condemns” Lai’s trip to the US.
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will travel to Hawaii and Guam after approving an arms deal with the US (Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The US has repeatedly expressed its support for Taiwan through military deals, operations and diplomatic interactions with Taiwanese officials.
In recent years, there has been a cadence of U.S. officials, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meeting with Taiwanese officials, only for Beijing to respond with sabre-rattling.
Pelosi made a rare trip to the island in 2021, and China responded by holding live-fire military exercises around Taiwan. Those exercises took place again in 2023 when then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with former Chairman Kevin McCarthy in California.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s regime has systematically criticized the US for making friends with Taiwan. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque//File Photo)
President-elect Trump has indicated that his administration will continue America’s strong relationship with Taiwan. Trump’s nominees to serve as United Nations Ambassador, National Security Advisor and especially the Secretary of State are considered by many to be ‘China Hawks’.
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Trump last month nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as secretary of state. Rubio was a leading voice in the Senate for cracking down on China and imposing sanctions.
Trump has nominated Senator Marco Rubio to lead the State Department. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Rubio has said he will work with Trump to “continue to support Taiwan.” He is also a Trump ally and is pushing Taiwan to increase defense spending, a view shared by security experts but not necessarily by the majority of Taiwan’s population.
Reuters contributed to this report.
