Taiwan's DPP slammed for purchasing U.S. arms

BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday slammed Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for procurement of weapons from the United States, noting that pursuing "independence" by force would only drive Taiwan perilously close to war.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the comments in response to a media query concerning Taiwan's planned purchase of U.S. missiles.

No matter how many weapons the DPP authorities procure using the hard-earned money of the Taiwan people, they cannot change the basic fact that Taiwan is China's Taiwan, let alone stop the inevitable trend of national reunification, Zhang said.

The U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the August 17 Communique, Zhang added, noting that such acts infringe on China's sovereignty and security and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to resolutely foil any form of "Taiwan independence" separatist plot, safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maintain peace and stability across the Strait, he added.