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US weapons supplies to Taiwan turning island into 'powder keg' — China’s Defense Ministry

In the document, China calls on the US to abide by the `One China’ principle and immediately cease selling arms to Taiwan or maintaining any military communication with the island

BEIJING, July 5. /TASS/. The latest US weapons supplies to Taiwan risk turning the island into a powder keg, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Chinese side resolutely protests US weapons supplies to the Taiwanese region. Ignoring China’s key concerns, the United States is blatantly interfering into China’s internal affairs, trying to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and, in effect, accelerating the transformation of the Taiwan Strait into a powder keg, while pushing Taiwan’s residents to the abyss of disaster," the statement reads.

In the document, China calls on the US to abide by the `One China’ principle and immediately cease selling arms to Taiwan or maintaining any military communication with the island.

According to the Chinese Defense Ministry, China’ People’s Liberation Army (PLA) always stays on high alert to be able to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported last week that the State Department had authorized $440 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested Washington’s decision.

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