China to sanction US firms for selling arm to Taiwan

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Editor : Tevfik Sayraç

The arms sale is a serious violation of international law, spokesman says

China to sanction US firms for selling arm to Taiwan

China will retaliate U.S. companies involved in recent arms sale to Taiwan to safeguard its national interests, the Chinese spokesperson said on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang confirmed early Friday that Beijing will impose sanctions on relevant U.S. enterprises as a response to Washington’s huge arms sale on Monday.

The U.S. Department of State has approved the deal worth $2.2 billion with Taiwan.

It was a serious violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations, the spokesman said and added it was also a serious violation of the one-China policy.

“It also undermined China’s sovereignty and national security,” Geng said. “To safeguard our national interests, China will impose sanctions on the U.S. enterprises involved in the above-mentioned arms sale to Taiwan,” he added.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory in line with its one-China policy.

In 1949, Chinese nationalist leaders fled to Taiwan to establish what they called “nationalist China” when Mao Zedong came to power. China, which does not accept Taiwan's independence, argues that this island is its breakaway province since then.

In 1979, the U.S. recognized the People’s Republic of China as the “legitimate authority representing China” by adopting the “One-China” policy. However, the U.S. maintains relations with Taiwan unofficially. It sells weapons worth billions of dollar each year to Taiwan.

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