China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it is seriously concerned about U.S. arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan, after a source told Reuters that Washington was planning a $2 billion weapons sale to the island China claims as its own.

China urges the United States to stop arms sales to Taiwan to avoid harming bilateral relations, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Reporting by Cate Cadell; Writing by Ben Blanchard; editing by Darren Schuettler

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in past decade

(Reuters) – The United States is pursuing the sale of more than $2 billion worth of tanks and other weapons to Taiwan, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, prompting anger from China.

The United States is a main arms supplier to Taiwan, which China deems its own. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled and democratic island under its control.

China has for years opposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, but has taken little concrete action in response to them.

Here is a list of previous U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan and significant Chinese reactions:

– In 2008, a U.S. decision to sell Taiwan $6.5 billion in arms, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles, prompted Beijing to cancel military exchanges with the United States.

– In 2010, the Obama administration announced a package of arms to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion, including Black Hawk helicopters, missiles and mine-hunting ships.

China for the first time threatened to impose sanctions on U.S. companies involved in arms sales to Taiwan and cut off all military exchanges with the United States.

– In 2011, the U.S. government announced the sale of arms worth $5.85 billion to Taiwan, including upgrades for 145 of Taiwan’s fighter jets.

– In 2015, the U.S. government’s announcement of a $1.83 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including two frigates, anti-tank missiles, amphibious assault vehicles and other equipment, drew an angry response from China, which threatened to penalise the companies that made the armaments.

– In 2017, the United States decided to sell Taiwan $1.42 billion in arms, the first such sale under the administration of President Donald Trump. China said the decision contradicted a “consensus” President Xi Jinping reached with Trump in talks in April in Florida.

– In 2018, the U.S. State Department approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million.

– In April of this year, the U.S. State Department approved the sale to Taiwan of a pilot training programme and maintenance and logistics support for Taiwan air force F-16 fighters based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona at an estimated cost of $500 million.

Writing by Liangping Gao and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel

Source :

Reuters