China curbs military ties after U.S. arms sale to Taiwan

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday condemned the United States for its latest arms sales offer to Taiwan, calling the decision "grave interference" in Chinese internal affairs and warning it will damage U.S. military and security ties with Beijing.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun voiced China's "strong indignation and resolute opposition" to the sale of F-16 fighter upgrades and other military equipment when he called in the U.S. Ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn) reported.

"No matter what the excuses and reasons, there can be no hiding that United States' announcement of plans to sell arms to Taiwan is grave interference in China's domestic affairs and sends a gravely mistaken signal to pro-Taiwan independence separatist forces," said Zhang.

"It must be pointed out that this wrongful course by the U.S. side will unavoidably damage Sino-American relations and cooperation and exchanges in the military, security and other fields," said Zhang.

He warned Washington "not to take any more actions that harm China's core interests and bilateral cooperation."

Tensions over the latest U.S. arms sales to Taiwan now appear likely to cloud Sino-U.S. relations for a while after the announcement. Beijing's comments indicated that military ties will be reined in, as they have been after previous sales.

Last year, such arms sales were among a clutch of disputes that strained ties between China and the United States.

China deems self-governed Taiwan to be an illegitimate breakaway from mainland rule and has vowed to secure eventual reunification. The United States ended formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan when Washington recognised Beijing in 1979, but says it is obliged by law to help Taiwan defend itself.

"We urge the U.S. side to fully grasp the acute sensitivity and grave harmfulness of weapons sales to Taiwan, and truly respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a separate statement on the arms sales.

The Obama administration formally notified the U.S. Congress on Wednesday of a potential $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan's ageing fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets, which U.S. officials have said will give them much the same capabilities as late-model F-16 C/Ds that Taiwan had sought without success.

The Pentagon said Taiwan had also requested 176 state-of-the-art radar sets and advanced air-to-air missiles, laser- and GPS-guided bombs and other weapons systems for the F-16s.

China has shown no sign of ending an arms build-up that is focussed on Taiwan, and past U.S. arms sales to Taipei have riled Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Taiwan, which for years relied on better equipment and training, has been hobbled by the refusal of any country other than the United States to sell it weapons, fearing an angry response from China.

The military advantage Taiwan once boasted in the air has slipped away over the past decade as China modernised, and analysts say the arms deal would do little to alter the balance.

In January 2010, China froze military-to-military ties and threatened sanctions against U.S. firms after President Barack Obama approved a potential $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan left over from the administration of George W. Bush.

Still, relations between China and Taiwan have warmed considerably since Ma Ying-jeou was elected the island's president in 2008 and who has since signed a series of landmark economic and trade deals with Beijing.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Myra MacDonald)