TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Beijing said Saturday (Oct. 26) it would take “countermeasures” after the US announced a US$2 billion weapons deal with Taiwan.
News broke on Friday that the US approved a US$1.98 billion arms sale, including surface-to-air missiles and radar systems, to Taiwan, marking the 17th and biggest under the Biden Administration. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said US weapon sales to Taiwan “seriously violate” the “one-China” principle and the three China-US joint communiques.
The ministry said such sales undermine Beijing's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and “send a gravely wrong message to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.” Beijing said it “strongly condemns and firmly opposes this,” and claimed it lodged “serious protests” with Washington.

It accused the US of trying to contain China by supporting Taiwan's independence and claimed this was contrary to Washington's commitment to not back Taiwan's sovereignty and stabilize US-China relations. Beijing urged Washington to immediately halt providing weapons to Taiwan and cease “dangerous moves” that subvert peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
China vowed to “take resolute countermeasures and take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday thanked the US for continuing to provide weapons for Taiwan's defense and for “honoring its security commitments" as codified in the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. MOFA said the sale “reflects Washington's unwavering support for strengthening Taiwan’s defensive resilience and deterrence capabilities and demonstrates its high regard for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
MOFA said Taiwan would continue to demonstrate its determination to protect itself, bolster its defenses, safeguard its free and democratic way of life, and pursue peace through partnership. It also pledged to "jointly safeguard the rules-based international order and advance peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific."