Beijing criticises potential sale as a 'crude interference', harming its sovereignty and security interests.
AlJazeera
July 9, 2019
China has demanded that the United States"immediately cancel" a potential $2.2bn arms
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says China expresses ‘strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition’ to the move [File: Fuat Kabakçi/Anadolu Agency]
The move would be Washington's first big-ticket military sale to the democratically-governed island in decades, and comes amid deteriorating ties between the US and China, the world's two largest economies that have been locked in an acrimonious trade war.
It risks further heightening tensions with China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Beijing had lodged formal complaints through diplomatic channels expressing "strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition" to the proposed sale. [FULL STORY]
