WASHINGTON, August 30. /TASS/. The US must stop selling weapons to Taiwan, as any military contact with the island violates the "one China" principle, says Liu Pengyu, spokesman of the Chinese embassy in Washington. He made this statement commenting on the report that the White House will ask the Congress to approve a sale of $1.1 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan.

"The US side needs to immediately stop arms sales to and military contact with Taiwan, stop creating factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and follow through on the US government statement of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’," the diplomat underscored.

China will continue taking to take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend Chinese sovereignty and security interests, the spokesman added.

Earlier, Politico reported that the White House is reviewing a package of weapons to Taiwan, which includes 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles ($355 million), 100 air-to-air AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles ($85.6 million), as well as prolongation of the contract on radars worth $655.4 million.