China's defense ministry voices strong opposition against US arms sale to Taiwan

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday expressed strong opposition against the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan and vowed to defeat any foreign intervention and any attempts to seek "Taiwan independence."

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the statement in response to an Aug. 4 announcement from the United States about an arms deal to Taiwan worth 750 million U.S. dollars.

The arms deal ignored international laws and general principles for international relations and violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Wu said.

The U.S. side interfered in China's domestic affairs and undermined China's sovereignty and security interests, sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, he said.

Wu urged the United States to abide by the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the August 17 Communique, cautiously handle affairs related to Taiwan and stop arms sales and military contact with Taiwan.

The People's Liberation Army will take any necessary actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.