China Opposes Taiwan-US Defense, Military Exchanges
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - China warned against continued US-Taiwan cooperation, responding to reports that the US military was sending officers to help train Taiwan's counterparts and that a delegation of defense contractors would visit the self-ruled island next week.
“We resolutely oppose the US having any form of official or military contact with China's Taiwan region,” Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a weekly press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, AP reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government has flown fighter jets and bombers near Taiwan in increasing numbers and fired missiles into the sea in an attempt to intimidate the island.
Taiwanese media reported this month that the US had sent 200 military personnel, mostly Marines, to help train Taiwan troops. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has neither denied nor confirmed the report.
Meanwhile, a delegation of around 25 defense contractors is visiting the island next week, hosted by the US-Taiwan Business Council. Nikkei Asia reported that the weapons manufacturers will discuss joint production of drones and ammunition in Taiwan.
“US defense contractors intentionally provoke confrontation between the two sides, taking the opportunity to make a profit," Zhu said. She accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power for six years, of colluding with the US to press for the island's formal independence.
The US doesn’t formally recognize the Taiwan government but is Taipei’s most vital provider of weapons and other security assistance as well as political support. China has turned up the heat by sending fighter jets and navy vessels near the island on a near daily basis, especially in response to political meetings between the US and Taiwan.
Earlier this month, China held large-scale military exercises simulating a strike on key targets in Taiwan in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.