China asks US to cancel its latest arms sale plan to Taiwan

China asked this Thursday to USA to “immediately cancel” its latest plan to sell F-16 fighter-bombers and infrared tracking systems to taiwanvalued at about 500 million dollars.

China urges the United States to immediately cancel its latest plan to sell arms to Taiwan and to abandon this dangerous pattern of arming the island.Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference.

He added that “China will take strong measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

sale of fighter-bombers

The US government on Wednesday approved a possible sale of F-16 fighter-bombers and infrared tracking systems to Taiwan valued at about $500 million.

The Office of the Cultural and Economic Representative of Taiwan asked the US Executive for permission to purchase from the company Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, in the state of Maryland, according to a statement from the State Department.

The formal request by the buyer is the first step in the process of sale of US military weapons abroad. Immediately afterwards, the Department of State authorizes the sale, which then has to go through Congress, which must study it and give it the go-ahead.

Taipei’s request includes support material for those fighter jets, ammunition, software and equipment for military training.

For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated this Thursday through the social network X (formerly known as Twitter) that it “welcomes” the sale which, according to Taipei, “emphasizes the commitment of the Joe Biden administration to the Taiwan Relations Act and reflects the strategic importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The announcement comes less than a month after the White House announced a historic $345 million military aid package for Taiwan, which will come from the Pentagon’s inventory and not from the foreign military sales program, as has been the case. usual.

Taiwan is one of the main sources of tension between the United States and China, since the North American country is Taipei’s main arms supplier, something that Beijing has repeatedly protested.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, a territory it considers a “rebel province” since Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the war against the communist army.

(Source EFE)