Q: Recently, some people in the US believed that China has no reason to feel worried about the US plan to sell Taiwan P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircrafts and other advanced weapons, given that those sales were approved by the US three years ago and are only implemented now. What's your comment on this?

A: We are gravely concerned about US new development on sales of advanced arms to Taiwan. Our position of firmly opposing US arms sale to Taiwan has always been consistent and clear.

US arms sales to Taiwan have seriously violated the commitments made by the US Government in the three Sino-US joint communiqués, especially the Joint Communiqué of August 17. Its sales have also infringed upon China's sovereignty and national interests, inflated the arrogance of the "pro-independence" forces in Taiwan in their attempt to split China and aggravated the tension across the Taiwan Straits. They will definitely cause severe damage to China-US relations and our bilateral cooperation.

We urge the US side to be fully aware of the danger and stop the wrong practice of arms sale to Taiwan.