China on Jan 30 decided to suspend scheduled visits between its and US armed forces in retaliation against Washington's decision to sell a package of arms worth about US $6.4 billion to Taiwan. "We made the decision out of considerations on the severe harm of the US arms sales to Taiwan," China's official Xinhua news agency Jan 30 quoted the country's Defence Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping as saying in a statement.
The official China Daily online Jan 30 also said that Major General Qian Lihua, director of the
Chinese Defence Ministry's Foreign Affairs Office summoned the defence attache of the US
Embassy in Beijing on the same day to lodge a stern protest.
The report further cited Qian as saying the US decision would definitely bring about serious
negative impact on the relations between the two countries and militaries, and will to the end
severely undermine the interests of the United States itself.
Likewise, Reuters Jan 30 quoted Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei as having told the US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman in comments reported on the Foreign Ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn): "The United States will shoulder responsibility for the serious repercussions if it does not immediately reverse the mistaken decision to sell weapons to Taiwan."
Besides, a Xinhua report Jan 31 cited a press release of China's Foreign Ministry as saying China had decided to only partially halt the exchange programs between the militaries of the two countries, as well as the vice-ministerial consultation on strategic security, arms control and anti-proliferation, which was originally scheduled to be held soon
The US, Taiwan's most important ally, is bound by law to ensure the island's ability to respond to Chinese threats. The US Congress has 30 days to comment on the newest arms sales before the plan goes forward. (Source: TibetanReview.net, Feb 1, 2010).