CNN Indonesia
Friday, 01 Sep 2023 21:40 WIB
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the US
Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
China annoyed after United States of America agreed to send military equipment to Taiwan under the program that is generally given to sovereign and independent countries.
This is the first military assistance the US has provided to Taiwan under this program. China’s foreign ministry said the US move undermined China’s “sovereignty and security interests” and undermined “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the US to “stop enhancing US-Taiwan military connections and arming Taiwan.”
“This severely violates the one-China principle and the three provisions in the China-US joint communiqué,” Wang said.
“China deplores and resolutely opposes it,” he was quoted as saying Associated PressThursday (31/8).
China’s Ministry of Defense also criticized the US decision, stating that Beijing’s military would “take all necessary steps to resolutely fight this”, it was reported CNN.
The US Department of State notified Congress of the Washington military transfer deal on Wednesday (30/8).
They said this assistance is “used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and joint defense capabilities and enhance maritime domain and maritime security capabilities.”
This assistance is actually simple because it is only worth 80 million dollars or the equivalent of Rp. 1.2 trillion of the funds that have been set aside by Congress to help Taiwan, which is around 2 billion dollars or the equivalent of Rp. 30.4 trillion.
Even so, the implication that this assistance uses the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program has clearly made China furious. Because this program is usually given to sovereign and independent countries.
Beijing has always regarded Taiwan as part of its rebel territory. China has even threatened to use force to ‘make it obedient’ back to the archipelago.
Along with this, the Bamboo Curtain country is always angry and protesting against all US arms sales to Taiwan. Washington’s arms sales previously approved under other authorities don’t necessarily imply state grants.
Seeing Beijing’s response, US officials immediately made it clear that the use of FMF on Taiwan does not signal a change in policy.
“The United States has provided Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan for many years. FMF only allows qualified partner nations to purchase US defense goods, services, and training either through the FMS or, for some countries in particular, through foreign military financing programs through direct commercial contracts (FMF/DCC),” the two US officials said on condition of anonymity.
However, the language used here implies that Taiwan is or could be compared to a “nation” or “country”, something China strongly opposes.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the US State Department told CNN that Washington is “consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and the longstanding and unchanging one China policy.”
He said that the US only provides Taiwan with defense goods and services that allow Taiwan to have sufficient self-defense capabilities.
“The United States has an enduring interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is critical to regional and global security and prosperity,” he said.
(blq/rds)
2023-09-01 14:40:00
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