China's military orders US to stop arms sales to Taiwan after 'brink of Cold war' warning

Soon after the United States proposed to sell $180 Million worth of torpedoes to Taiwan, China on Sunday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense said that "The U.S. should immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan and cease military contacts with the island", China's mouthpiece reported. This comes less than a day after China's foreign minister made an alarming statement about how the 'political virus' originating from the US is pushing the two nations to the brink of a 'new Cold war'.

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The remarks by Wu comes after US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on May 20 notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale to Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of eighteen (18) MK-48 Mod6 Advanced Technology (AT) Heavy Weight Torpedoes (HWT) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $180 million. TECRO has requested to buy eighteen heavyweight torpedoes, which also includes spare parts, test equipment, and other related elements of logistics support from the US government, the agency release stated.

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China further urged the United States to immediately withdraw the aforementioned planned arms sales and cut military ties with Taiwan to avoid further damage to bilateral relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. "The Chinese People's Liberation Army will resolutely safeguard the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity", Wu added.  

US-China tensions

Tensions between the United States and China are already at its peak after Washington vowed to support Taiwan's effort in the World Health Assembly late last month. The United States has also time and again blamed China for the coronavirus outbreak and accused Beijing of not sharing full information about the disease with the international community. US President Donald Trump and his administration have also claimed that the virus is not of natural occurring and that it emerged at a virology laboratory in Wuhan. 

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