China yesterday said that it would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin Corp, days after the US approved a potential US$620 million refurbishment package for missiles to Taiwan.
The possible foreign military sale involves Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.
In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it “strongly condemns” China’s gesture, describing it as “irrational clamor and barbaric intimidation.”
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s procurement of weapons and self-defense upgrades are necessary and legitimate for defending the nation’s sovereignty and democratic establishments, as well as peace in the Taiwan Strait, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
China’s ungrounded criticism cannot conceal its aggressive and authoritarian nature, nor can it sway Taiwan’s determination to reject its “one country, two systems” model, she added.
China “firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) told a regular briefing, urging Washington to abide by the concept that Taiwan is part of “one China.”
Zhao added that the US should “stop arms sales to Taiwan and cut military ties with it, so as not to do further harm to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Tensions between the US and China have been increasingly strained as the two sides tussle on various fronts — ranging from the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s policies in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Zhao said that China’s move to hit Lockheed with sanctions was “to safeguard its national interests.”
Last year, China threatened sanctions on US firms linked to a sale of warplanes to Taiwan as well, calling the move a serious interference in its internal affairs.
Lockheed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan is bolstering its defenses for what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as its regular air force and naval exercises near the country.
Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發), visiting troops during the annual Han Kuang military exercises, said they needed to be strong in the face of “all sorts of threats and provocations” from China.
“This tells our people and the Communists that we have the confidence and ability to protect our people and homeland, and defend the country’s security,” the Ministry of National Defense quoted him as saying.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan and Reuters
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
‘BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS’: The US military’s aim is to continue to make any potential Chinese invasion more difficult than it already is, US General Ronald Clark said The likelihood of China invading Taiwan without contest is “very, very small” because the Taiwan Strait is under constant surveillance by multiple countries, a US general has said. General Ronald Clark, commanding officer of US Army Pacific (USARPAC), the US Army’s largest service component command, made the remarks during a dialogue hosted on Friday by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked by the event host what the Chinese military has learned from its US counterpart over the years, Clark said that the first lesson is that the skill and will of US service members are “unmatched.” The second
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS