Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Southeast China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]
Beijing on Friday announced countermeasures against some United States military-related companies and senior executives in response to the recent US large-scale arms sales to Taiwan, according to a decision published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website.
The decision points out that the arms sales, with a total value of $11.1 billion, seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, interfere in China's internal affairs, and undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The countermeasures, which are therefore a necessary and justified response to a grave provocation, specifically target 10 individuals and 20 United States defense companies involved in the deal.
It must be emphasized once again that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. Any act of provocation that crosses the line on the Taiwan question will be met with strong countermeasures.
Under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, China-US relations have shown signs of stabilization in recent months. The truce reached after the fifth round of trade talks in Kuala Lumpur helped inject some badly needed certainty into the otherwise fraught relationship. Yet the US side has tested this hard-earned respite with its provocative move.
China's countermeasures to the latest US arms sales, which include freezing assets in China, banning business dealings and barring entry to the country, send a clear message to the US: It should not harbor any illusion that China will trade away its fundamental principles.
The countermeasures are both a warning and a reminder that any company or individual involved in arms sales to Taiwan must pay the price for their wrongdoing. No country or force should underestimate the firm will of the Chinese people, or the country's ability to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The latest US arms sales not only send a dangerous signal to the island's authorities led by Lai Ching-te, emboldening them to continue on the path of "Taiwan independence", but also risk encouraging other destabilizing actors, including the Sanae Takaichi government of Japan.
China once again urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, implement the commitments made by the US leadership, and stop the dangerous act of arming Taiwan.
Neither arming the secessionists on the island nor tacitly indulging the military adventurism of Tokyo serves the interests of regional peace, or the interests of the US.
Properly handling differences and genuinely upholding the one-China principle are among the key common understandings reached by the Chinese and US heads of state. The US should refrain from provocations on the Taiwan question. Persisting in playing the so-called "Taiwan card" will only render any stabilization in bilateral ties fleeting and illusory.
China will never sit idle in the face of provocation. The Chinese side will continue to take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Any miscalculation will only lead to consequences the instigators must bear.
