WASHINGTON, March 13. /TASS/. The US government’s sales of weapons to Taiwan are turning the island into a powder keg, thus profoundly jeopardizing the island’s citizens, Liu Pengyu, press secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told TASS.

"The US selling weapons to Taiwan is a gross violation of the One China principle, as well as three US-China joint communiques, especially the one of August 17 [1982]. China firmly rejects such steps. The US selling arms to Taiwan makes the island a powder keg, which, as a result, jeopardizes the Taiwanese people and delivers the wrong signal to the supporters of ‘independent Taiwan,’" the diplomat said, commenting on a decision by the US Department of Defense (DOD) to award aerospace and defense company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) with a $250 mln contract for producing four unmanned MQ-9B SkyGuardian vehicles for Taiwan. This type of aircraft is intended for maritime reconnaissance.

"We once again call on the US to adhere to the One China principle, as well as our three joint communiques. We urge the US to stop selling weapons to Taiwan and to terminate military contacts in order to prevent an escalation in the [Taiwan] Strait," Liu concluded.

According to the DOD, in addition to four airplanes, Taiwan will be provided with two ground control stations, spare parts and related equipment. The work will be performed in California, where the defense contractor is based, and is expected to be completed by August 11, 2027. Such unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can perform combat missions and carry various weapons payloads.

The US is Taiwan’s main arms supplier. In 1979, Washington cut diplomatic ties with Taipei and established relations with Beijing. The US accepts the One China policy, but continues contacts with the self-ruled island and supplies it with arms, activities that China steadfastly opposes.