Statement to the U.S. on the Day of "Taiwan Encirclement Drill" Launch
"If the U.S. Supports Taiwan Independence, China-U.S. Conflict Risk Will Rise"
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded that the United States halt arms sales to Taiwan, stating that even U.S. intervention in the Taiwan Strait cannot prevent reunification.
On December 29, the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on social media regarding the U.S. approval on December 18 of a plan to sell $11.1 billion (approximately 16 trillion won) worth of weapons to Taiwan. The post stated, "The United States is continuously breaking its own promises and increasing the scale of arms sales to Taiwan. This harms others and will ultimately harm itself."
President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting at Busan Gimhae International Airport. Photo to aid understanding of the article. Photo by AP Yonhap News.
The department emphasized, "The United States must clearly recognize the serious consequences of arming Taiwan." It also pointed out that there is an ongoing impeachment movement in Taiwan targeting the pro-U.S. and pro-independence Lai Ching-te administration, and that recent polls in the United States show a majority of respondents oppose military intervention in the Taiwan Strait.
The statement continued, "The true intention of a small group of U.S. extremists pushing for the armament of Taiwan is to return the United States to the outdated path of foreign intervention and war." It added, "The United States must clearly understand that, even if the 'Taiwan independence' forces on the island attempt to achieve independence by force, 'Taiwan independence' is inevitably doomed to fail and will only push the Taiwan Strait more rapidly toward the risk of war."
The ministry also warned, "If the United States helps Taiwan achieve independence by force, it will only set itself on fire and increase the risk of China-U.S. conflict and confrontation."
Furthermore, the ministry stated, "Over 70 years ago, the United States sent warships to the Taiwan Strait to block China's reunification by force, and in doing so, the United States became indebted to China regarding the issue of China's complete reunification." It continued, "China today is not the China of over 70 years ago, and there has been a fundamental change in the balance of power between the two sides of the strait (China and Taiwan)."
The department asserted that no matter how much the United States tries to turn Taiwan into a 'porcupine,' it cannot stop the historic trend toward China's complete reunification. It warned that the more the United States encourages provocations by 'Taiwan independence' forces, the more it will bring consequences upon itself.
Meanwhile, on the morning of December 29, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese military announced the start of joint army, navy, air force, and rocket force drills encircling Taiwan. This Taiwan encirclement exercise, conducted for the first time in about eight months since early April, is interpreted as a response to the recent U.S. approval of what has been called the 'largest ever' arms sale to Taiwan.
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