China says U.S. will only ‘harm itself’ after Washington approves $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

The U.S. on Thursday approved $11.15 billion in arms sale to Taiwan, reportedly its largest deal to the island as it faces growing threats from China and has been a subject of diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

The move drew a sharp response from Beijing, with its foreign affairs spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, accusing the U.S. of violating the “one-China principle.”  “By aiding Taiwan’s independence through arms sales, the U.S. will only end up harming itself. Any attempt to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail,” Guo said, according to a CNBC translation of his speech in Mandarin.

The Taiwanese defense ministry said the sale — comprising artillery systems, antitank missiles, as well as spare parts for helicopters and antiship missiles — falls under the $40 billion supplementary defense budget announced by President Lai Ching-te in November.

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