China's Foreign Ministry expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. military aid to Taiwan

China expresses strong dissatisfaction with US military aid to Taiwan and calls on Washington to stop carrying out dangerous actions that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. A statement to this effect was published on December 22 on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"This (US military aid to Taiwan. - Ed.) seriously violates the commitments of US leaders not to support Taiwan's independence. <...> China expresses strong dissatisfaction, strongly opposes it and immediately sent a strict submission to the US," the ministry said.

The ministry drew attention to the fact that the United States, by selling weapons and providing military aid to Taiwan, "seriously violates the 'one China' principle and the provisions of the three joint Sino-US communiqués."

Earlier, on December 20, it was reported that the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of a military communications system and related equipment to Taipei's economic and cultural representative office in the United States at an estimated cost of $265 million. At the same time, current U.S. President Joe Biden ordered $571 million in military aid to Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said on November 24 that the United States was using Taiwan to fuel conflict in Asia in order to realize its interests. The diplomat noted that the situation in Taiwan is within the exclusive competence of the People's Republic of China. However, Washington, in violation of the principle of "one China" recognized by itself, strengthens military and political contacts with Taipei.

On September 18, China imposed sanctions against nine U.S. companies in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. They will be subject to measures to freeze their assets in the country and ban organizations and individuals in the PRC from conducting any transactions, cooperation or other activities with them.

The escalation of the conflict between China and Taiwan came after a visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022. The Chinese side considers Taiwan to be its own territory, so it views visits to the island by officials from other countries as support for Taiwan's independence.

Official relations between the PRC government and its island province broke down in 1949 when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek, who lost in a civil war with the Communist Party of China, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s. The U.S. openly supports the Taiwanese authorities.