China complains to US about 'dangerous' military aid to Taiwan

China said on Tuesday it had complained to the United States about an arms aid program for Taiwan, urging Washington to refrain from moving further down a “wrong and dangerous” path. “.

The United States unveiled an aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million on Friday, as Congress authorized up to $1 billion in arms aid for the island as part of the budget 2023.

Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, said the United States must end any form of “military collusion” with Taiwan.

“The Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and constitutes a red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” Tan said in a statement.

Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory and repeatedly warns against any form of “official exchanges” between Washington and Taipei. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the Taiwanese people can decide its future.

The United States, Taiwan's main arms supplier, is required by law to provide it with the means to defend itself, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations and the anger these arms sales arouse in Beijing.

America's top general said in July that he and his allies should speed up arms deliveries to Taiwan in coming years to help the island defend itself.

The Chinese military has also been flexing its muscles around the island, recently sending dozens of fighters, bombers and other aircraft, including drones, into the skies over southern Taiwan, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army is closely monitoring the situation in the Taiwan Strait and is always on alert, Tan said.