SINGAPORE, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government and the Chinese people are strongly opposed to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, a senior Chinese military officer said here on Saturday.

The response came after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis touched upon the Taiwan issue in his speech at a plenary session of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue which opened here on Friday evening.

Speaking to the press, Lieutenant General He Lei, vice president of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army who is here for the dialogue, said:"If the Taiwan issue is talked about, one should not mention the Taiwan Relations Act only. He or she should also mention the three joint communiqués between China and the United States, thus giving a full picture of the issue."

Mattis welcomed China's economic development, and noted that there is a great space for friendly cooperation between China and the United States on many security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, He Lei said.

China appreciates these remarks made by the U.S. secretary of defense, he added.

The three joint communiqués, namely the Shanghai Communiqué, the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the August 17 communiqué, formed the political foundation of the China-U.S. ties.

At the dialogue organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, senior military officials, diplomats and experts are discussing such topics as nuclear issues, security cooperation and measures to avoid conflicts.