US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has said that Washington will continue arms sales to Taiwan despite China's opposition and "aggravation" of the situation with what Beijing sees as a breakaway province.
Esper added that he hoped to visit the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the end of the year in order to boost bilateral cooperation.
"I personally spoke to my PRC counterpart on multiple occasions and before the year is out I hope to visit the PRC for the first time as secretary, in order to enhance cooperation on areas of common interest, establish the systems necessary for crisis communications, and reinforce our intentions to openly compete in the international system", Esper said at a special presentation for the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced last week that Beijing would impose sanctions against Lockheed Martin after the United States approved a $620 million sale to Taiwan to upgrade its Patriot anti-ballistic missile systems. Lockheed Martin is the main contractor in the transaction.
Responding to the statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he hopes China will reconsider the threat, pointing out that Lockheed Martin’s business with Taiwan is fully consistent with Washington’s foreign policy on supplying arms to the island, which Beijing considers a part of its territory.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan’s government claims China as the heir to the pre-Communist government under the “one China” policy. Beijing has been highly critical of Washington's arms deal with Taipei, threatening sanctions on multiple occasions.