China defense ministry: U.S. military aid, arms sales an attempt to drag Taiwan into war

A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday said the U.S. military collusion with China’s Taiwan region, whether it’s military aid, arms sales, or under any other excuse, is an attempt to drag Taiwan into the flames of war and harm the island itself.

According to reports, the U.S. side recently invited Taiwan’s military representatives to observe a joint air exercise of the U.S. and its allies. Meanwhile, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations recently approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act, which includes a $500 million budget for military assistance to Taiwan.

In response to a question from the media during a regular press briefing, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said China firmly opposes any form of military collusion between the U.S. and China’s Taiwan region.

“We urge the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Zhang said.

The spokesperson also warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities that “soliciting U.S. support for independence” is doomed to fail.