The Obama Administration announced Wednesday plans to engage in a $18.3 billion arms sale with Taiwan, the first offered in four years, prompting China to threaten sanctions against any companies involved in the deal.
Even before the announcement, China, which views the self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, demanded that it be scrapped on the grounds that it would harm relations between Taiwan and China, as well as China and the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. China strongly opposes the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan," said China's Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang shortly after the announcement.
He alleges that the sale goes against international law and the basics of international relations, as well as against the principles in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and severely harmed China's sovereignty and security interests, reported ABC News. He concluded that China will take any measure, including sanctions, to defend its national interests.
"No one can shake the firm will of the Chinese government and people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to oppose foreign interference," said Zheng.
Zheng urged the U.S. going forward to abide by the three joint communiques, revoke the arms sale plan and end its military contact with Taiwan, according to China's Xinhua News Agency.
Conversely, the U.S. maintains that the arms deal wouldn't impact the nations' relationship, which is already strained due to China building an island in the South China Sea and its alleged cybertheft.
China has threatened with such sanctions in the past, though no evidence suggests that anything meaningful has ever come from them. American and European Union companies are banned from selling military technology to China, but Chinese companies already have strong links with major overseas firms that possess weapon-making divisions.
