Beijing demands US halt biggest arms sale to Taiwan of Donald Trump’s presidency

Pentagon agency approved US$2.2 billion sale on Monday – the fourth since Trump took over at the White House

Taipei government says deal shows US support against Beijing threat and normalises US arms sales to Taiwan

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The United States has been Taiwan’s main arms supplier. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:08am, 9 Jul 2019Updated: 10:49pm, 9 Jul 2019

Beijing has demanded the United States reverse its approval of the biggest arms sale to Taiwan since Donald Trump took over as US president, while Taipei said it showed Washington’s support in the face of growing military threats from mainland China.

The sale of equipment worth US$2.2 billion was approved by the US State Department on Monday, said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the Pentagon agency handling foreign arms sales.

The Taipei government’s foreign ministry said the approved sale underlined America’s support, especially with Beijing repeatedly staging war games to intimidate the self-ruled island and sabotage peace and stability in the region.

“The second sale of arms to Taiwan [this year] is strong proof of the robust support of the US government for Taiwan and its defence need,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that Taiwan could not be separated from mainland China, and that Beijing’s determination to maintain its territorial integrity should not be underestimated. He said the US should respect the one-China principle.