China urges US to cease arming Taiwan: FM spokesperson

China urges the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and cease its dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

The spokesperson made the remarks in response to a reporter's query that the U.S. Defense Department on Saturday announced that the U.S. State Department has approved 1.988 billion U.S. dollars in arms sales to Taiwan, including the "National Advanced Surface-to-air Missile Systems" and radar systems.

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China urges US to cease arming Taiwan: FM spokesperson

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China urges US to cease arming Taiwan: FM spokesperson

The U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982. The sales seriously infringe upon China's sovereignty and security interests, harm China-U.S. relations and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and send a gravely wrong message to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, the spokesperson said.

China strongly condemns and firmly opposes the sales and has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side, the spokesperson noted.

The U.S. decision to use Taiwan to contain China and help advance "Taiwan independence" agenda by arming Taiwan goes against the U.S. leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" and the two sides' effort of stabilizing the China-U.S. relations, the spokesperson said.

China urges the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said. China will take resolute countermeasures and take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday it had launched the 89th wave of Operation True Promise 4, carrying out strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets in the region.

The IRGC said in a statement that Iran and various resistance fronts, through coordinated operations, used heavy missiles, attack drones, and rockets to strike U.S. military bases and Israeli targets.

The statement said the operation targeted Israeli military facilities and assembly points in Eilat, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and other locations, and claimed that, according to local sources, it had caused significant Israeli casualties.

The IRGC also stated that it had hit a location in Bahrain housing 80 U.S. troops, and Iranian ballistic missiles struck a U.S. helicopter formation at a base in Kuwait, destroying one helicopter and damaging others.