US arms sales to Taiwan are turning the island into a 'powder keg', says China

The US should stop interfering in both Taiwan and the South China Sea, China’s defence ministry said Thursday, adding that arms sales to Taiwan by the United States are making the situation more dangerous.

Senior Col. Wu Qian, the defence ministry’s top spokesperson said that Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party is “turning Taiwan into a weapons depot and a powder keg,”.

Wu Qian spoke less than two months ahead of a presidential election in which Taiwan voters will choose between the ruling party, which favours a stronger defence and close ties to the US, and opposition parties that advocate improving ties with China as the best way to reduce tensions.

China asserts its territorial claim over the self-governing island, considering it as part of its territory and insisting that it must fall under its control. The US government, while not endorsing formal independence for Taiwan, is obligated by its own laws to furnish the island with the necessary resources for its defence.

“Taiwan’s security depends on the peaceful development of cross-strait relations instead of a few pieces of U.S.-made weapons,” Wu said at a monthly news conference. The 160-kilometer (100-mile) -wide Taiwan Strait runs between Taiwan and China’s east coast.

“We request that the U.S. side acts in accordance with its words and takes concrete steps to honour its commitment not to support Taiwan’s independence, stops arming Taiwan and stops undermining China’s core interest,” Wu said.

Some American lawmakers are calling for stepped-up support in response to threatening military drills by China.

Wu also criticized the U.S. for supporting the Philippines in the latter’s territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought U.S. assistance, including a recent joint patrol conducted by their militaries.

“The U.S. has meddled in the South China Sea issue for its self-interests and instigated and supported the Philippines to infringe on (China’s) rights and stir up trouble,” Wu said.

He said that Chinese and U.S. defence officials are in contact to re-establish military-to-military communication at various levels. Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agreed to do that during a summit meeting about two weeks ago. China had suspended communications for more than a year in a dispute related to the Taiwan issue.

Wu also said that China is paying close attention to the fighting between a group of militias and the Myanmar army near the border with China. The Chinese military held live-fire drills on the Chinese side of the border earlier this week.

“The Chinese military always maintains high alert and is ready to respond to all kinds of unexpected situations,” Wu said.

With inputs from AP.