China said yesterday that it "strongly opposed" a weapons deal worth billions between Taiwan and the US, calling it a breach of a long-standing agreement between Beijing and Washington.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan (孔泉) said that the US$18 billion package that includes anti-missile systems, planes and diesel-electric submarines sends "wrong signals to Taiwan."
"The Chinese position is very clear-cut," Kong said at a regular briefing. "China is strongly opposed to any sale of arms to Taiwan, because this is not in alignment with international laws and it contradicts the joint communiques between China and the United States."
"This is not in line with the commitments made by many administrations of the United States to not support Taiwan independence," he said. "We hope the United States will honor its commitments."
The administration of US President George W. Bush, however, has assured China many times that the US "one China" policy -- which doesn't endorse Taiwan independence -- remains unchanged.
Taipei has said new weapons are needed because China has significantly increased its defense budget in recent years. Officials in Taipei have warned that Beijing's aggressive arms buildup will tilt the military balance in favor of China as soon as next year. The Legislative Yuan is expected to vote next month on the arms purchase, which critics say is overpriced and would start an arms race.
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