The most recent arms sales agreement signed between the USA and Taiwan, worth 11 billion dollars – around 9.3 billion euros – is one of the central points of friction in the relationship between Beijing and Washington. As the state media Global Times reports, the Chinese government claims that the transaction represents a direct intervention in what it sees as a purely internal problem and warns about the risks these military shipments pose to stability in the Taiwan Strait and regional balance in Asia.
Global Times reported on statements by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who pointed out that Washington’s decision violates the “One China” principle, a policy that Beijing sets as the basis of both its national agenda and diplomatic relations. According to the official Chinese position, the arms transfer represents not only a threat to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also a potentially destabilizing step for peace in the Taiwanese region. Authorities in Beijing believe this operation sends a message of U.S. support to island forces that promote independence goals, which contradicts China’s vision of territorial unity.
Spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Chinese executive “strongly opposes and strongly condemns” the US measure, according to the Global Times. During his public intervention, he warned that Taiwanese formations opposed to reunification continue to request resources to increase their weapons capacity, describing the island as a “powder keg” due to increasing external military supplies. “This seriously violates China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, seriously undermines cross-strait peace and stability, and sends a wrong signal to separatist forces advocating Taiwan independence,” Guo Jiakun said, according to the verbatim quote carried by Chinese state media.
In the same appearance, Guo Jiakun claimed that the militaristic strategy would not change the future of the independence forces. According to words collected by the Global Times, he pointed out that “this will not save Taiwan’s independence from the tragic fate that awaits it; it will only increase the danger of war in the Taiwan Strait.” The official warned that actions of this kind contribute to increasing the risk of armed conflict in the region and exacerbating the deterioration of dialogue between the parties involved.
In its assessment of the political background of the arms agreement, the Chinese government formulates a direct criticism of the role of the USA. Beijing accuses Washington of strengthening the position of pro-secession sectors in Taipei and believes the White House is using the Taiwan issue as a leverage tool in its strategic rivalry with China. The State Department spokesman said: “It will backfire because using Taiwan to contain China will never be successful,” according to information obtained by the Global Times.
Bilateral relations between China and the United States have been marked by a series of recent disagreements, with arms sales to Taiwan a particularly sensitive trigger. China views any international military cooperation with the island as an open challenge to its sovereign rights and its goal of national reunification. According to the vision of the Chinese executive, Taiwan represents an inalienable part of its territory according to the prevailing interpretation of its history and international law. In view of this, the Taipei authorities take a nuanced position that rejects integration on Beijing’s terms and calls for recognized autonomy.
Global Times states that Beijing attributes the current escalation of tensions to the activities and discourse of Taiwanese political actors seeking to distance themselves from the Chinese institutional framework. From the perspective of the authorities of the People’s Republic of China, these movements create instability and promote the tightening of diplomatic practices and defense mechanisms in the region. The Chinese government believes that this climate of confrontation has a direct impact on regional security, given the strategic importance of the Taiwan Strait in the global Asian context.
Media warn that there has been an increase in official statements and military maneuvers on both sides of the strait in recent weeks. From China’s perspective, the agreement between Washington and Taipei reinforces the perception that the stability of the region is at risk and the possibility of violent clashes in the current situation cannot be ruled out.
Beijing maintains its demand for respect for the “One China” principle as a prerequisite for any international negotiation or cooperation, arguing that violating this principle jeopardizes bilateral relations with the United States and could have consequences for the stability of the Asian continent. Global Times concludes that the Chinese executive insists on the validity and centrality of this policy and warns of the possibility of new regional and global repercussions if arms transfers and military alliances with Taiwan continue in the near future.
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