国内英语新闻:U.S. should immediately cancel Taiwan arms sales plan: spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday urged the United States to immediately cancel its planned arms sales to Taiwan and stop sending severely wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Ma Xiaoguang made the remarks in response to a question about the U.S. plan to sell F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan.

The U.S. move grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and seriously undermined China-U.S. relations, cross-Taiwan Strait relations and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said, voicing firm opposition to the arms sales plan.

"No force should underestimate our resolve and capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

Undermining the interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, "Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority didn't hesitate to act as U.S. 'pawns' and pay considerable 'protection fees' to the United States, but eventually they will become nothing more than an 'abandoned piece' and be forever nailed to history's pillar of disgrace," according to the spokesperson.