China says US arms deal with Taiwan will ruin Sino-American military trust

Beijing, Oct.8 : A 6.4 billion dollar deal to sell US arms to Taiwan has ruined years of Chinese efforts to build military trust with the Pentagon.

A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Washington should bear full responsibility for the consequences.

He made the remarks after the US government announced plans on Friday to sell a massive arms package to Taiwan, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles.

Describing the deal as "reckless", China said the arms sale threatens its national security and harms Sino-US relations.

US media have reported that, in response, Beijing has abruptly canceled a series of military and diplomatic contacts with Washington.

China has notified the US that it will not go forward with several senior-level visits and other military-to-military plans scheduled for November, Marine Major Stewart Upton, a US Defense Department spokesman, said on Monday.

The MND spokesman did not comment directly on the reports, only saying the US move has "severely hampered bilateral military exchanges in various fields, including high-level communication".

He urged the US to keep the promise it made to China on the Taiwan question, cancel the arms sale immediately and cut military connections with the island to avoid damaging peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and Sino-US military relations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made similar remarks Tuesday.

ANI