BEIJING, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- China has no plans to resume military visits with the United States, which were suspended to protest U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the military said Thursday.
The visits between the Chinese and U.S. armed forces were suspended last month after the announcement of plans to sell $6.4 billion of U.S. arms to the island nation, which China claims as its own.
"The U.S. side should bear full responsibility for the current difficult situation on China-U.S. military exchanges," Xinhua news agency quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping as saying.
China claims the arms sales violate the August 1982 statement the United States would not seek a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan.
Under the military visits program, the two countries had been set to have more exchanges this year, including the visit to China by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The Xinhua report quoted Gates as saying this week the trip was still on for later this year.
However, Huang, asserting the arms sales "seriously endangers China's national security," said his government's position on the suspension "has not changed."
He also commented on a recent report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency on the poor condition of Taiwan's fighter jets and its impact on its combat capability, Xinhua reported.
China is concerned the report would encourage U.S. Congress to push for the sale of advanced versions of the F16 fighter jets to Taiwan.
"We are highly concerned about the report because Taiwan issue is a matter of great significance to China's core benefits," Huang said.
