Arms deal ruins bid to build trust

A $6.4 billion deal to sell US arms to Taiwan has ruined years of Chinese efforts to build military trust with the Pentagon, and Washington should bear full responsibility for the consequences, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.

He made the remarks after the US government announced plans on Friday to sell a massive arms package to the island, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles.

Describing the deal as "reckless", China said the arms sale threatens its national security and harms Sino-US relations.