Lockheed Martin PHOTO: bloomberg
China said Tuesday it would impose sanctions on US defence group Lockheed Martin, days after the United States approved a potential $620 million upgrade package for missiles to Taiwan — fuelling tensions between the countries.
The possible foreign military sale involves Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and would be the island’s latest purchase from the US to boost its defence capabilities as China grows in strength.
China “firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan”, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing on Tuesday, urging Washington to abide by the concept that Taiwan is part of “one China”.
Zhao added that the US should “stop arms sales to Taiwan and cut military ties with it, so as not to do further harm to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry countered that it “strongly condemns” China’s “irrational outbursts and crude threats”…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
