China outraged at US warship sales to Taiwan

American envoy called in to explain his country’s agreement with Taipei to supply weapons, missiles and vehicles in deal worth nearly $2bn

China has summoned a US diplomat based in Beijing, in order to protest against Washington’s sale of warships to Taiwan as part of a $1.8bn (£1.2bn) arms package.

Taipei will get an array of missiles, amphibious assault vehicles and two frigates in the latest deal, which comes as the US looks to shore up its Asian friends and allies, in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness.

“China staunchly opposes America’s sale of arms to Taiwan,” a statement from the country’s foreign affairs ministry said, as the US charge d’affaires, Kaye Lee, was called in for a dressing down.

It said Beijing would impose sanctions on any companies involved in the sale, and urged Washington to cancel the deal to “avoid causing further damage to Sino-US relations”.

Although it has been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, China considers Taiwan a renegade province awaiting reunification. It regularly lashes out at Washington and other powers for their dealings with Taipei, which it labels as interference in Chinese domestic affairs.

The US weapons sale – the first to Taiwan in four years – comes at an increasingly febrile time in east Asia, where China’s aggressive position on territorial disputes with its neighbours has raised anxiety levels in the US and among allies from Japan to the Philippines.

Beijing is building islands with military-grade airstrips in the South China Sea, part of what observers say is an attempt to assert control over almost the whole of the body of water. Several countries – along with Taiwan – also claim parts of the sea.

The US and its allies have carried out high-profile flyovers of the sea, nearing the artificial islands, in what they say are routine “freedom of navigation” exercises in international waters. Beijing says they are provocations and infringements of Chinese sovereignty.

In their meeting on Wednesday, the vice-foreign minister, Zheng Zeguang, told Lee the weapons deal “severely goes against international law and the basic norms of international relations”, adding that it “severely harms China’s sovereignty and security interests”.

“US companies’ involvement in arms sales with Taiwan constitutes a severe infringement of China’s sovereignty and security interests”, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular press briefing, adding that “the Chinese government and companies will not conduct cooperation of business with those kinds of companies”.

Washington, which is bound by domestic laws to supply defence materials to Taiwan, played down the impact of the agreement. A State Department spokesman, John Kirby, said the deal was in keeping with long-held American policy and would not affect relations with Beijing.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/17/china-outraged-at-us-warship-sales-to-taiwan


Thats all the world needs, more arms sales and the USA and China having a face-off.

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Different subject, but mentioning China when are we going to ban the crap and dangerous toys they send over here?

But Osborne and Cameron think China is wonderful and are trying their best to sell everything we own to them and buy everything they sell.

Between the ongoing tensions in Korea, the islands claimed by Japan and China and border/territory disputes in the South China sea- this is the region that needs watching closely as a possible powder keg that could trigger a major military crisis. The middle east is a sideshow by comparison. There is lot to be compared in the Far East right now with Europe in 1914.

Agree Les, find it quite scary at the moment.

Don't say you find it scary - the "coward police" on this forum will be onto you.

Eilzel wrote:Between the ongoing tensions in Korea, the islands claimed by Japan and China and border/territory disputes in the South China sea- this is the region that needs watching closely as a possible powder keg that could trigger a major military crisis. The middle east is a sideshow by comparison. There is lot to be compared in the Far East right now with Europe in 1914.

Yep. I think that's what is behind it all.

Raggamuffin wrote:Don't say you find it scary - the "coward police" on this forum will be onto you.

No, they could be on to me if I stopped leading my life because of it.  I don't.  I didn't when we thought nucleur bombs were going to go off over Cuba either.

Quill, the rise of China as a power and America's moves to contain the problem by strengthening ties with its allies reminds me of the Britain's attempts to contain Germany. It is pretty chilling that as in 1914 there is this a heavy build up of power in one region where no one expects or wants an actual war but the shadow is growing ever darker.

sassy wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Don't say you find it scary - the "coward police" on this forum will be onto you.

No, they could be on to me if I stopped leading my life because of it.  I don't.  I didn't when we thought nucleur bombs were going to go off over Cuba either.

Remember that with Cuba as the world held it's breath. It looked really bad but the Soviets backed down and turned their ships around.

Irn Bru wrote:

sassy wrote:

No, they could be on to me if I stopped leading my life because of it.  I don't.  I didn't when we thought nucleur bombs were going to go off over Cuba either.

Remember that with Cuba as the world held it's breath. It looked really bad but the Soviets backed down and turned their ships around.

I was at boarding school.  It was all we talked about, between lessons, at night, during games etc and spent the time we had off huddled round my transistor radio.  But we still had to do our homework lol.   Much, much scarier than now.

I'd started work in an apprenticeship and thought what's the point - were all going up in a puff of nuclear dust.

It was really serious

I don't think anyone who wasn't alive then could understand that, it wasn't a fear just for yourself, we really thought it was going to be the end of the world.

sassy wrote:I don't think anyone who wasn't alive then could understand that, it wasn't a fear just for yourself, we really thought it was going to be the end of the world.

True. Anyway I'm off as things to do tomorrow and people to see.

Catch you all later

I'm off too, catch you tomorrow.

Eilzel wrote:Quill, the rise of China as a power and America's moves to contain the problem by strengthening ties with its allies reminds me of the Britain's attempts to contain Germany. It is pretty chilling that as in 1914 there is this a heavy build up of power in one region where no one expects or wants an actual war but the shadow is growing ever darker.

Agree,

Hopefully the USA see's sense and backs off.

veya_victaous wrote:

Eilzel wrote:Quill, the rise of China as a power and America's moves to contain the problem by strengthening ties with its allies reminds me of the Britain's attempts to contain Germany. It is pretty chilling that as in 1914 there is this a heavy build up of power in one region where no one expects or wants an actual war but the shadow is growing ever darker.

Agree,

Hopefully the USA see's sense and backs off.

Who are you talking about?

I don't know, leaving the other far east Asian nations to it against a powerful and assertive China would be pretty callous and almost a betrayal after years of being allies.

And as this story makes clear, America is happy to arm nations on that surround China. America won't stay out of anything- and I hope they wouldn't, for the sake of people in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.

Eilzel wrote:I don't know, leaving the other far east Asian nations to it against a powerful and assertive China would be pretty callous and almost a betrayal after years of being allies.

And as this story makes clear, America is happy to arm nations on that surround China. America won't stay out of anything- and I hope they wouldn't, for the sake of people in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.  

the last thing the region needs is to be the seat of the huge war that would be USA versus China

The USA couldn't stop China without nukes and China has nukes too

Arming the surrounding nations in no different than Russia arming Cuba

the thing is China may well be the lesser of the 2 evils anyway.

Ultimately if the US interferes there will be a massive death toll

Doubt the US is going to get involved anywhere.  Unless Trump gets into office.  The US is all done with wars for the time being...at least, for this generation.

And yet Quill, the US arms the nations in the region; why?

And veya, imagine you are a leader of Taiwan or Japan or the Philippines. China is constantly encroaching on what you consider your nation's territory. Do you give endless concessions to the greater power, or do you look to your powerful ally for assistance?

What the fcuk has it to do with China who the USA sells arms to? The Chinese sell arms to North Korea and one and three other countries as well.

Because China feels like the US is doing it as a part of a policy of containment, and stopping China flexing is muscles (while China of course sees its claims as entirely just and fair).

I'm not taking sides, but I see both povs and how easily this kind of situation has developed in the past.

Eilzel wrote:And yet Quill, the US arms the nations in the region; why?

I haven't seen any proof of that. That these nations purchase US arms...well, it's a free market.

I'm sure China see it that way

Eilzel wrote:I'm sure China see it that way

Quite, and of course America never sells arms to some nations to keep other nations under the thumb do they?

America always intends to act in its own best interests. So does Britain. Nothing new here.

We know. The point is that those interests can lead to conflict.

Would the USA just sit and watch if China decided to expand across the whole of Far East Asia?