Concentrate on COVID-19 battle, France tells China after Taiwan warning
14 May, 2020
France dismissed Chinese warnings on Wednesday (May 13) about selling arms to self-ruled Taiwan, saying it had been implementing existing deals and that Beijing should give attention to battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
China's foreign ministry warned Paris over a contract for Taiwan, which is certainly planning to buy weapons from Paris as part of an upgrade to a French-made warship fleet bought 30 years ago.
China says Taiwan is part of "one China", and that principle should be accepted by any country with which it has diplomatic relations. Arms sales to Taiwan happen to be always highly sensitive and regularly prompt a strong reaction from Beijing.
The French foreign ministry responded by expressing it followed a "one China" policy as agreed with Beijing in 1994 and continuing to urge both sides to carry dialogue.
"Within this context France respects the contractual commitments it made with Taiwan and hasn't changed its position since 1994," the ministry stated in a assertion. "Facing the COVID-19 crisis, all our attention and efforts ought to be centered on battling the pandemic."
The timing of the dispute is awkward for Paris, which includes ordered an incredible number of face masks from China as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Last month, the French foreign ministry summoned China's ambassador over posts and tweets by the embassy defending Beijing's response to the pandemic and criticising the West's handling of the outbreak.
"COMBAT NEEDS"
Taiwan is mostly built with U.S.-built weapons, but in 1991 France available Taiwan six Lafayette frigates, to China's anger. France also sold Taiwan 60 Mirage fighter jets in 1992.
Taiwan said last month it was seeking to buy equipment from France to upgrade the ships' missile interference system.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China resolutely opposed any arms sales to Taiwan.
"We have already expressed our serious concern to France," he told a daily news briefing. "We again desire the French side to follow the main one China principle and withdraw the arms sale intend to Taiwan to avoid harming Sino-French relations."
Taiwan's Defence Ministry quoted the navy as declaring it was pursuing related procurement regulations for the arm purchase to meet its "combat demands". It declined further comment.
Taiwan media reported that Taiwan was first proposing to spend around NT$800 million (US$26.8 million) on the DAGAIE missile interference system from French firm DCI-DESCO.
Taiwan says it requires to upgrade its armed forces to deal with an evergrowing threat from China, which includes stepped up military drills close to the democratic island.
China describes Taiwan as its most sensitive and important territorial concern, and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan has displayed no interest in being ruled by autocratic China.
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