(PatriotsUnited.org) – China has unsurprisingly publicly come out firmly against a fresh U.S. arms agreement with Taiwan.
Under the deal, the U.S. has vowed to supply F-16 spare and repair parts to the democratic state amid fears China could launch an invasion. Beijing sees the island as its rightful territory under its “One China Policy”. Xi Jinping’s regime had instructed Washington to scrap the deal and his defense ministry said last Friday that a formal complaint had been lodged with the U.S. State Department. China also stressed its pledge to continue bolstering its own readiness for conflict, referring to its military drills in a press statement responding to the news.
Announcing the deal, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency claimed it was struck in order to promote stability and economic growth in the region. The U.S. is keen to ensure its continued influence in the Indo-Pacific, despite China’s rise. Naturally, Taipei welcomes the U.S. deal as it seeks to fortify its military effectiveness in a bid to safeguard its independence and sovereignty against China’s aggression. The Hong Kong region is an example of a territory formerly claimed by Beijing, but which was under British control until 1997.
The region had free markets, civil liberties and the rule of law, although it was not fully democratic. However, the city has fallen fully under the grip of the Chinese Communist Party in the intervening years since Britain’s withdrawal, with many Taiwanese democrats seeing its repressive system as a dystopic vision of its own future should Beijing get its way.
Historically, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has been tricky, with Washington walking an awkward tightrope, supplying arms to Taiwan under its Taiwan Relations Act while officially stating its support for Beijing’s claims to the breakaway territory. As July’s official finalization deadline for the arms sale creeps upon us, the world will be watching closely for the fresh kinks it will likely create in the already tense Washington-Beijing relationship.
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