US backs F-16 sale to Taiwan, drawing warning from China

Bloomberg

The Trump administration has informally told Congress that it supports a potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, drawing a preemptive warning from China at a critical moment in trade talks with the US.
The State Department has informally told key House and Senate committees that it supports the $8 billion sale of 66 F-16s, according to two congressional aides with knowledge of the decision. Even with congressional support, it will be years before any of the Lockheed Martin Corp jets are delivered, assuming Taiwan signs an actual contract.
It’s unclear whether the administration’s support for the sale would be used as a bargaining chip in the still-fluid trade talks with the Beijing government or whether it represents additional support for a government long seen as a bulwark against Chinese expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, and regards any American involvement there as an intrusion.
A spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry told reporters that “the US arms sales to Taiwan severely violate the one-China principle.”
The spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said that her government was urging the US to “refrain” from selling the “fighter jets to Taiwan and stop arms sales to and military contact with Taiwan. Otherwise, the Chinese side will surely make strong reactions, and the US will have to bear all the consequences.”
President Donald Trump said he planned to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping “soon.”