 China warns US over arms sales to Taiwan Beijing (AFP) March 20, 2017 - China on Monday reiterated its firm opposition to US arm sales to Taiwan, amid reports that Donald Trump's administration is preparing a large shipment of advanced weaponry for the self-ruling island. "China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan, this is consistent and clear-cut," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing. "We hope the US side fully recognises the high sensitivity and serious harmfulness of its sales to Taiwan." She called on Washington to abide by the One-China policy and "cease Taiwan arm sales" in order to preserve Sino-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The comments, which came one day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended a visit to Beijing, followed reports in US media that Trump's government was preparing a large-scale arms package for Taiwan. China sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. The United States is the democratically-ruled island's most powerful ally and its main arms supplier, even though the two sides do not have official diplomatic ties after Washington switched recognition to Beijing in 1979. There have been concerns Taiwan will become a bargaining chip between the US and China since Trump angered Beijing with a protocol-busting telephone conversation with the island's President Tsai Ing-wen following his election victory. Trump and China's President Xi Jinping subsequently smoothed over the dispute in a phone call in which the US leader reiterated Washington's adherence to the One China policy, which nominally acknowledges Beijing's claim without recognising it. Taiwan unveiled a major defence report last week and confirmed publicly for the first time that it was capable of launching missiles at China. "Should the enemy insist on invading, we will weaken their capabilities by striking enemy troops at their home bases, fighting them at sea, crushing them as they approach the coastlines and wiping them out on the beaches," said the four-yearly report to parliament. The report summary said Beijing had never abandoned its desire to invade. It added China's military spending had been growing and its resources had seen "rapid modernisation". Beijing sent its only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, through the Taiwan Strait in January as a show of strength, but it did not enter Taiwanese waters. Since then Taiwan has announced a ramping up of its military, including the development of new stealth fighter jets. China has more than 1,500 missiles aimed at Taiwan, according to Taiwan's defence ministry.
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China is aiming advanced medium-range ballistic missiles at Taiwan as part of a growing military threat towards the island, Taipei's defence minister said Monday.
The announcement came after Taiwan said for the first time last week that it is capable of launching missiles at China as it warned of an increased invasion risk.
China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought back into its fold, by force if necessary, even though the island has been self-governing since the two sides split after a civil war in 1949.
Ties have worsened since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen took power last year, ending an eight-year rapprochement.
The DF-16 (Dongfeng 16) is capable of precise strikes against Taiwan and has been deployed by the Rocket Force of the People's Liberation Army, defence minister Feng Shih-kuan said.
Feng told lawmakers the development comes as China "strengthens its weaponry modernisation and military hard power".
He did not say how many missiles had been deployed or where.
Taiwan has said China is targeting the island with around 1,500 missiles -- this is the first time the defence ministry identified the DF-16 as among them.
Beijing has severed all official communications with Taipei since Tsai became leader in May and has been accused of blocking the island's political representatives from attending international events.
China is highly suspicious of Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence.
Taiwan has never formally split from the mainland and China has warned of military consequences if it did.
Feng added that China's six recent drills in the Western Pacific and sending its sole aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait were designed to "pressure Taiwan to follow its plans in the development of cross-strait relations".
China displayed the DF-16 among a variety of short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing in 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat.
Military experts said the missile has a range of between 1,000 and 1,500 kilometres (600 and 900 miles) and can reach US military bases in Okinawa. It is capable of pinpoint precision and can carry two or more warheads to conduct multi-target attacks.
When asked by lawmakers how Taiwan would handle the new threat, Feng said the island's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile system could intercept the DF-16.
"We are confident in our surveillance to detect any unfriendly action towards us ... We have sufficient weaponry to shoot it down outside our territory," he said.
Taiwan pledged to build up its military in the face of the China threat in a four-yearly defence report unveiled last week.
The island's military, which consists of around 200,000 troops, is a fraction of China's 2.3 million-strong army.
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