China Vows To Take 'Countermeasures' Over US Arms Sale To Taiwan

China has slammed the arms sales by the United States to Taiwan and said that the country will take “countermeasures” to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Joe Biden-led US administration on Friday approved a $2 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar. 

In a statement released, China’s foreign ministry said it strongly condemned and firmly opposed the arms sales. The Ministry said that the package “seriously violates China’s sovereignty and security interests, seriously damages China-US relations, and endangers peace and stability” in the strait, reported Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Beijing has held large-scale war games around Taiwan this month. Taiwan detected a record 153 Chinese aircraft in a single day recently. 

Despite not having formal diplomatic relations with the democratic island, the United States is a major ally and supplier of weapons to Taiwan. Beijing has also accused Washington of meddling in its affairs. In September, China sanctioned US defence firms in retaliation for Washington’s approval of the sale of military equipment to Taiwan.