Tuesday, February 2, 2010

China protests US arms sales to Taiwan

China repeated its protests of a U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Tuesday, but offered no new details on threatened retaliation such as sanctions against American companies.

"The U.S., heedless of China's resolute opposition, insisted on announcing its arms sales package to Taiwan. This seriously damages China's core interests, as well as China-U.S. relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.

He also said the sale would "inevitably affect China-U.S. cooperation on international and regional issues," apparently referring to Washington's hopes of enlisting Chinese support on Iran and North Korean nuclear issues.

The $6.4 billion sale includes defensive weapons such as Patriot air defense missiles and Black Hawk helicopters. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, said Saturday it was suspending military exchanges in response.

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