China opposes US arms sales plan to Taiwan

China is voicing strong opposition against Washington's plan to sell an arms package to Taiwan. The Foreign Ministry says China will postpone bilateral military programs and security talks with the US.

According to the Pentagon's website, the new 6.4-billion-US-dollar arms package includes 114 Patriot anti-missile systems, 60 Black Hawk choppers, 12 Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, 2O Osprey Class mine hunting ships and a command and control enhancement system.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei summoned Jon Huntsman, the US Ambassador to China. He says China and the US signed the "August 17th" communique in 1982. The United States promised not to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan and intended to gradually reduce arms sales to the island.

The Foreign Ministry says it's going to postpone military exchange programs, ministerial talks on security and arms control with the US, adding that the arms suppliers in the package will be sanctioned.

The Defense Ministry is also infuriated.

Huang Xueping, Spokesman of Ministry of National Defense, said, "The Taiwan issue is directly linked to China's core interests. We will never make concessions over our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Major General Qian Lihua, the chief of the Ministry's foreign affairs office, has been instructed to summon the US defense attache to make a serious protest.

A leading official with the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee says China is firmly opposed to the plan, and has lodged severe representations with the US side.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Foreign Affairs Committee reiterated China's stance on the matter and protested against the arms sales plan.

The Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council says the arms package runs counter to both the sound development of the cross-Strait relations and to the fundamental long term interests of the Taiwan people.