China warned the U.S. of its “first red line that cannot be crossed” after a report that President Donald Trump intends to increase arms sales to Taiwan.
The Trump Administration will lift weapons sales to Taiwan to higher levels than during his first administration, Reuters reported, citing U.S. officials, to put more military pressure on Beijing and to improve its deterrence of a Chinese invasion.
It comes amid escalating U.S.-China tensions over the revocation of student visas and stalled trade talks, which had initially been greeted with relief when sky-high tariffs between the two were suspended.
“The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a press briefing on Friday.
“China firmly opposes the US’ arms sales to China’s Taiwan region, urges the US to abide by the One China principle, and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 communique of 1982.
“Stop selling arms to Taiwan and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait. China is firmly resolved in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan Seeks to ‘Enhance Military Deterrence’
Washington does not say if it would come to Taiwan’s aid if China tries to retake the island militarily, operating a policy of strategic ambiguity.
It currently supports Taiwan’s defense through weapons sales and limited military cooperation to prepare Taipei for a potential Chinese invasion.
Analysts fear China will seek to seize Taiwan militarily within the next few years. China regularly conducts military exercises in the Strait, and its naval and air forces often cross into Taiwanese space.
“Taiwan aims to enhance military deterrence while continuing to deepen its security cooperation with the United States,” Presidential Office spokesperson Wen Lii told Reuters about the U.S. intention to up its arms sales.
China-US Relations and Taiwan
China regards Taiwan as its territory and seeks what it describes as reunification under its One China principle.
Taiwan’s geographic position in the first island chain of U.S. allies and partners in the region, its manufacture of critical semiconductors and advanced chips, and that it is a democracy in East Asia make Taiwan of vast strategic significance to Washington.
It split from the mainland at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when the communists took control of the mainland and the nationalists fled to the island, which has become a modern democracy with a high-tech, advanced economy.
The U.S. “One China” policy acknowledges Beijing’s claim to Taiwan, but does not endorse it. The One China policy and the communiques agreed to in the 1970s and 1980s form the basis of U.S.-China relations.
The August 17, 1982 comminuque notes that the U.S. “does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan” and “intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan”.
Taiwan is self-governing and functions independently, though many states do not formally recognize its independence in order to maintain relations with China. It does not have formal diplomatic ties with the U.S., but it has strong relations.
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