China warns U.S. it cannot stop Taiwan reunification
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Lin Jian speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, 05 February 2025. File ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES/EPA
Dec. 29 (Asia Today) — China’s foreign ministry on Monday demanded the United States halt arms sales to Taiwan and warned that U.S. involvement in the Taiwan Strait cannot prevent what Beijing calls “complete reunification,” issuing the statement as the Chinese military launched large-scale drills encircling the island.
In a statement posted on social media, the ministry’s North American and Oceania affairs department criticized Washington’s approval of an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, describing the move as a breach of U.S. commitments and warning it would “harm others” and ultimately “harm itself,” according to Chinese and state-linked media accounts.
The statement urged the United States to recognize what it called the “serious consequences” of arming Taiwan and argued that attempts to support “Taiwan independence” would increase the risk of conflict and confrontation between China and the United States.
It also invoked history, saying the United States sent warships to the Taiwan Strait more than 70 years ago to block reunification by force, adding that “China is no longer the China of over 70 years ago” and claiming a “fundamental shift” in the cross-strait balance of power.
“No matter how much the U.S. tries to turn Taiwan into a ‘porcupine,’ it cannot stop the historical trend of China’s complete reunification,” the statement said, warning that Washington would “reap what it sows” by encouraging pro-independence forces.
The foreign ministry’s comments followed an announcement earlier Monday by the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command that it would conduct joint drills involving land, sea, air and rocket forces around Taiwan, its first major “encirclement” exercise in months, according to multiple reports.
Taiwan placed its forces on heightened alert and condemned the drills, which came after Washington moved forward with the largest U.S. arms package for Taiwan to date, Reuters reported.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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