Chinese FM urges US to revoke arms sales to Taiwan

CHINA: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi urged the United States to immediately revoke a $5.85 billion deal to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported Friday.

In comments made on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Yang urged Washington to cut military links with Taipei to safeguard Sino-US relations, the report said.

Yang made the remarks in a speech to members of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the US-China Business Council, Xinhua said.

“Yang said the US side must fully recognise the great sensitivity and gravity of arms sales to Taiwan, attach great importance to and seriously treat the solemn stance of China,” the report said.

He urged the United States to stop selling arms to Taiwan to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

China had earlier strongly condemned the military package, summoning the US ambassador and warning the move would undermine warming military relations.

Washington recognises Beijing rather than Taipei, but remains a leading arms supplier to the island of 23 million inhabitants, providing a source of continued US-China tension. AFP