BEIJING – A planned American weapons sale to Taiwan will damage relations between Washington and Beijing, a Chinese official said, ahead of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s visit to China in October.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China could never accept the proposed $15.3 billion sale – involving eight diesel-powered submarines, 12 anti-submarine aircraft and six Patriot missile batteries – because it would constitute interference in China’s affairs.
Taiwan and China split during the civil war in 1949, and China has threatened the use of force against the self-governing island if it declares its independence.
The weapons deal “would undermine national security and the unification of China, and harm relations between the U.S. and China,” Qin said Tuesday. “We urge the U.S. to clearly recognize the serious harm the weapons package entails.”
Qin’s comments came several weeks ahead of a planned visit to the mainland by Rumsfeld, who has questioned the need for China’s recent military buildup, saying in June that the country did not face sufficient threats to justify it.
The proposed weapons deal was first approved by the Bush administration in 2001, but has since been delayed by Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party, which has a small legislative majority.
The Nationalists say the purchase would throw Taiwan into an arms race with China that it could not afford, while President Chen Shui-bian’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party believes China’s increased military spending leaves Taiwan no choice.
The Nationalists support eventual unification with mainland China, while the Democratic Progressive Party seeks to strengthen Taiwan’s status as a self-governing entity.
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