Arms sales to Taiwan causes multiple damage to China-U.S. relations
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Xinhua, September 22, 2011
An Obama administration plan for new arms sales to Taiwan is related to China's core interests and the overall China-U.S. relationship. The deal, pushed by some U.S. lawmakers, will inevitably cause multiple damage to China-U.S. ties.
Reuters reported that a U.S. official involved in Taiwan policy said the White House was set to notify Congress formally about details of a plan to supply state-of-the-art weapons to Taiwan, adding that the move was an "apparent compromise" to China.
There are also reports that some U.S. lawmakers remain dissatisfied with the deal, saying the U.S. should fully meet the arms request from Taiwan, a "strong ally and long-time friend."
What a wrong viewpoint from a wrong perspective.
The United States should fulfill its commitments in the three China-U.S. joint communiques and the Joint Communique of Aug. 17, 1982, signed by the two sides.
On arms sales to Taiwan, China has maintained a clear and persistent stance of stout opposition over the past 30 or more years. The sales will undermine the political trust between the two countries.
Washington has been ignoring its commitment and hurting its political credit in persisting to arm Taiwan. On the one hand, the U.S says it supports positive cross-straits relations, but on the other hand some Americans, possibly with conflict on their minds, seek to boost Taiwan's military capability against the mainland.
On the one hand, U.S. leaders say "China's rise isn't our demise," but on the other hand, some people in the U.S. remain in the grip of the Cold War and continue to build walls against China.
The issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan has been a recurrent blight on China-U.S. relations, and China has been asking Washington to take practical and concrete measures on the issue, in line with the goal of committing to a close, healthy, friendly relationship, which was reiterated by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he visited China a month ago.
On the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which has been taken as a U.S. excuse for selling weapons to Taiwan, it's a simple fact that this act is an unjustifiable barrier to the spirit of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, and is becoming a Cold War vestige.
China has every reason to safeguard national sovereignty and integrity, and by no means will China make any compromise on the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and a so-called compromise sales package will identically meet China's firm opposition.
The U.S. side should fully realize the hazard and sensibility of its arms sales deal with Taiwan and stop it to avoid any harm to China-U.S. ties as well as cross-straits relations.
