China on Saturday, January 30, 2010 decided to suspend scheduled visits between the Chinese and US armed forces, in response to Washington's plan to sell a package of arms worth about 6.4 billion US dollars to Taiwan.
The US government on Friday announced the plans to sell a package of arms to Taiwan, which include Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and minesweepers. China immediately expressed strong indignation about the sale after the US government notified the US Congress of the plans.
Qian Lihua, director of the Defense Ministry's Foreign Affairs Office, on Saturday summoned the defense attache of the US Embassy in Beijing to lodge a stern protest.
"The US arms sales to Taiwan gravely violates the three joint communiques between China and the United States, and seriously endangers China's national security and harms China's reunification course," Qian said.
The US plan will 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, he noted.
The United States have reiterated in many occasions that it will adhere to the one-China policy, abide by the three joint communiques and support the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Straits.
The US side states in the Communique that "it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan" and "intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution." (Source: Xinhua, Jan 3, 2010).