Defense ministry slams US military assistance to Taiwan

China strongly opposes the United States' military assistance to Taiwan and urges the US to stop all types of military connections with the island, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei said on Tuesday in Beijing that the US' planned military assistance to Taiwan is a gross interference in China's domestic affairs. Such acts will severely damage China's sovereignty and security, and will pose a serious threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

"We firmly oppose this move and have made solemn representations of said opposition to the US," he said.

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and is a red line that must not be crossed in terms of China-US relations, according to the spokesman.

"Some forces in the US, due to their hegemony and Cold War mentality, continue to engage in detrimental acts such as arms sales, military assistance and joint training. They have been trying to strengthen military ties with Taiwan and instigate 'Taiwan independence' forces to cause trouble and provoke China. What they have done has exacerbated cross-strait confrontation and tension in the Taiwan Strait," Tan said.

China urges the US to stop all forms of military collusion with Taiwan and not to go further down the wrong and dangerous path.

"The historical wheel of China's reunification keeps rolling forward, and no one country or any force can stop it. The People's Liberation Army closely monitors the situation in the Taiwan Strait and always stays on high alert. Our forces will resolutely safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will firmly protect the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

The White House has recently announced that the US would provide Taiwan with military assistance worth up to $345 million.