China Suspends Arms Control Talks with US; Blames Washington for Supplying Arms to Taiwan

Beijing: China on Wednesday said it has suspended the crucial arms control and non-proliferation talks with the US, accusing Washington of continuing arms sales to Taiwan.

Announcing this, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said the US continued sales of weapons to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.

He said that despite Beijing’s opposition, the US actions had “severely damaged the political atmosphere necessary for continued arms control consultations between the two sides”.

“China has decided to suspend talks with the US on holding a new round of arms control and non-proliferation consultations,” Lin told a media briefing here.

“The responsibility for this situation lies entirely with the US,” he said, squarely blaming Washington for the disruption of the talks.

China was willing to maintain communication with the US on the issue but only on the condition that “the US must respect China’s core interests and create the necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange between the two sides”, he said.

China and the US resumed their talks on arms control and nuclear non-proliferation less than a year ago following the end of COVID restrictions.

The two countries held their first meeting in four years last November in Washington where both agreed on the importance of maintaining such communication under the conditions of respect and trust, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In addition to Taiwan tensions over trade, the South China Sea, and technology also reportedly made China call off the crucial talks.

The US in recent years kept up its high-tech arms sales to Taiwan ignoring Beijing’s repeated objections as successive American administrations backed Taiwan’s autonomous status though Washington is committed to the One China policy.

The US passed a USD 95 billion foreign aid package in April which included arms supplies to Taiwan. Later Washington approved USD 300 million tactical systems for Taiwan. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic staff and has been published from a syndicated feed)