China says arms purchases 'won’t protect Taiwan independence forces’

ISTANBUL

China on Wednesday said Taiwan’s arms purchases from the US “won’t protect Taiwan independence forces,” the state-run Global Times newspaper reported.

Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, was commenting on reports that Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is contemplating arms purchase from Washington somewhere between $7 billion and $10 billion to improve relations with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

"'Protection fees' won't protect 'Taiwan independence' forces, and the 'chess pieces' will inevitably turn into 'abandoned pieces,'" the spokeswoman added.

On Feb. 19, Taiwan’s leader Lai Ching-te had said "Taiwan is a chess player, not a chess piece."

Regarding his remarks, Zhu said "such statement is self-deceptive and laughable."

"Now, they're spending hundreds of billions of new Taiwan dollars to offer a 'pledge of loyalty' to the US, turning Taiwan into a 'powder keg,'" she added.

The spokeswoman said such an action would only result in the suffering of Taiwan’s people, criticizing the DPP’s attempt to "seek independence by relying on foreign forces."

"'Taiwan independence' is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is China's Taiwan. Anyone or any force wants to split Taiwan from China. The more than 1.4 billion Chinese people will never agree, and the brave and combat-savvy Chinese People's Liberation Army will never agree," she said.

China considers Taiwan, which has maintained its independence since 1949, as its “breakaway province.

Trump has threatened tariffs on chip imports. Taiwan’s TSMC is the world's largest chipmaker, and provides semiconductors to Nvidia, Apple and other US clients.

Last week, Lai said Taiwan plans to propose a special defense budget, and that he will encourage businesses to invest in the US and communicate more with Washington.