US ups the ante in dirty game but should be forewarned

The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Southeast China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]

This is an editorial from China Daily.

Not content with violating the one-China principle, the United States has launched what could be called a frontal assault on China's sovereignty, which in no way will be tolerated.

US officials have arranged for a delegation of 25 arms dealers to visit Taiwan from Tuesday apparently to explore the possibility of manufacturing weapons, mainly drones and ammunition, on the island, ostensibly to support its secessionist-minded leader Tsai Ing-wen's pro-independence agenda.

The roster of speakers and moderators from the Taiwan side that took part in the so-called Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum in Taipei on Wednesday testifies to that.

From James Huang, chairman of the "Taiwan external trade development council" to Shen Ming-Shih, acting deputy CEO of the "institute for national defense and security research" and Tsai Shih-Ying, coordinator of the "foreign and national defense committee of the legislative yuan" are all hardcore members of the pro-independence Tsai clique.

Washington has absolute say over its arms deals with the island, and this time it has hinted that, if not directly told, Taipei should invite the US arms dealers to the island, taking advantage of the window after the People's Liberation Army's intensive drills around the island as a warning to Tsai to not do something more provocative after her "stopovers" in the US last month.

That the US delegation did visit the island despite initial hesitation that it could further irk Beijing and could lead to leaking of US military technology indicates Washington finally decided to indulge in brinkmanship and provoke Beijing to make a rash move and thereby justify, according to the US, the purpose of the delegation's visit.

That's why Beijing said it will keep a close eye on the US delegation's visit to the island, and will act accordingly.

Incidentally, however, compatriots on the island organized protests in Taipei against the visit of the "distinguished US guests", calling them "bloodsuckers" and "warmongers".

The Ukraine crisis has created an excuse for Washington and Taipei to pretend to safeguard "democracy" and, in the process, strengthen their evil nexus, because by constantly supplying weapons to Ukraine, the US has failed to deliver weapons to the island "on schedule". Also, by manufacturing weapons in Taiwan, the US arms dealers as well as the US administration can bypass a lot of problems to sell arms to the island.

But the US' efforts to push the envelope in that regard, no matter when, pose a grave challenge to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. By allowing the arms dealers' delegation to visit the island, the Joe Biden administration has once again reneged on its promise to not support the island's secessionists and violated the three Sino-US joint communiques, which could change cross-Strait relations or Sino-US ties forever.