China suspends military exchanges with US over arms sales to Taiwan

obama-twapGreat job Obama! Now you’ve pissed off China! Mao would not be pleased. According to the AP, China has suspended military exchanges with the United States and threatened sanctions against American defense companies Saturday, because of the $6.4 billion arms sales to Taiwan. The development has further strained the complex relations between the two powers, which are increasingly linked by security and economic issues.

China’s Defense Ministry said the sales to self-governing Taiwan, which the mainland claims as its own, cause “severe harm” to overall U.S.-China cooperation, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The Foreign Ministry threatened sanctions against U.S. companies involved in the arms sales.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, Susan Stevenson, had no comment on China’s actions Saturday.

(AP) In this Feb. 9, 2007 file, Patriot missiles PAC-3 launchers are seen at the Kadena U.S. Air…
Full Image
Taiwan is the most sensitive topic in U.S.-China relations, and the sales announced Friday could complicate cooperation between the two sides on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear program to the loosening of Internet controls, including a Google-China standoff over censorship.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei warned U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman that the sales of Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and other weapons to Taiwan would “cause consequences that both sides are unwilling to see,” a ministry statement said Saturday.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important ally and largest arms supplier, and it’s bound by law to ensure the island is able to respond to Chinese threats.

China responds angrily to any proposed arms sale, however, and it also cut off military ties with the U.S. in 2008 after the former Bush administration announced a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

Washington has tried to use military visits to build trust with Beijing and learn more about the aims of its massive military buildup.

Overall ties have been tense as President Barack Obama plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, this year. It’s not known whether the Taiwan arms sale will affect President Hu Jintao’s expected visit to the U.S. this year.

Experts on China warned Beijing could take further steps to punish the United States to show its newfound power and confidence in world affairs.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international studies at China’s Renmin University, said the sale would give Beijing a “fair and proper reason” to accelerate weapons testing. China test-fired rockets in recent weeks for an anti-missile defense system in what security experts said was a display of anger at the pending arms sale.

“The U.S. will pay a price for this. Starting now, China will make some substantial retaliation, such as reducing cooperation on the North Korea and Iran nuclear issues and anti-terrorism work,” Jin added.

The latest suspension of military ties should affect planned visits to China by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. A visit to the U.S. by the Chinese military’s chief of the general staff, Gen. Chen Bingde, could also be called off.

The U.S. Congress has 30 days to comment on the newest arms sales before the plan goes forward. Lawmakers traditionally have supported such sales.

Though Taiwan’s ties with China have warmed considerably since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 20 months ago, Beijing has threatened to invade if the island ever formalizes its de facto independence. China has more than 1,000 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan.


No TweetBacks yet. (Be the first to Tweet this post)

Related posts:

  1. China pissed off at Obama over currency and trade Yet again Obama put his foot in his mouth and...
  2. China dumps the dollar for copper! A ‘Copper Standard’ for the world’s currency system? Hard money...
  3. ALERT: North Korea fires off four new short range missiles! North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles within four hours on...
  4. What works in China? Socialism or Capitalism? Dick Morris’s latest column exposes that even in China, socialism...
  5. Russia ready to abandon dollar in oil, gas trade with China Rut-Roh. Did anyone else hear Putin say this past Wednesday...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

January 30, 2010 · Filed Under General Politics

Share/Bookmark

Comments

Lets hear your point of view! - A warning to the liberal whiners who seem intent to flood our comment section with profanity. Save your keystrokes. The anti spamming script will just automatically delete your comment. Feel free to disagree with the host on any article posted here, but flame baits, racism, and profanity laced tirades will NOT be tolerated, and will eventually get your IP address banned!




www.e-referrer.com