China: 'US seriously violating the one-China principle'

China has strongly condemned the US decision to provide Taiwan with military aid as a serious violation of the “one-China principle.”

Wang Wenbin, Spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a briefing in Beijing on Thursday that the move is a serious violation of the “one-China principle” to which Washington is committed.

Wang made the remarks in response to the Biden administration's approval of the first-ever provision of arms to Taiwan under the so-called Foreign Military Financing program.

The Biden administration on Wednesday approved the transfer of $80 million worth of military equipment to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program.

Beijing has repeatedly warned against any official exchanges between Washington and Chinese Taipei, including provision of military assistance to the island.

Wang urged the US to abide by the “one-China principle” and stop arming Taiwan and fanning the flames of tensions in the region.

"Through the so-called Foreign Military Financing plan applicable to sovereign states, the United States has provided weapons to Taiwan, seriously violating the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, especially the 1982 year’s communiqué, seriously violating international law and basic norms governing international relations, harming China's sovereignty and security interests, and endangering peace and stability in Taiwan,” the top Chinese diplomat stated.

“The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with the serious wrong signal sent by the separatist forces for Taiwan independence and firmly opposes it,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington responded firmly to the military aid, saying that Beijing was against US weapons supplies to Taiwan.

“China is resolutely opposed to military ties between the United States and Taiwan and weapons supplies. This is our consistent and unequivocal position,” Liu told TASS.

“The United States should adhere to the One-China principle and three joint communiqués between China and the US and stop sending weapons to Taiwan or create new pretexts that may escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and stop posing risks to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he stressed.

China has sovereignty over the Chinese Taipei, and under the "One China" policy, almost all world countries, including the US, recognize that sovereignty. However, Washington has long courted Taipei in an attempt to unnerve Beijing.

Furthermore, Washington, which backs Taipei’s secessionist president, also infuriates Beijing by selling weapons to the self-governed island in violation of its own official policy.

ME