On October 15th, during a press briefing, Major General Wu Qian, Director of the Ministry of National Defense News and Spokesperson for the Ministry, addressed several recent military-related issues.
A reporter raised a question regarding a recent allegation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which accused Raytheon of fraud in relation to the Taiwan arms deals for the “Patriot” missile system in 2013 and radar systems in 2017. The accusation suggests that Raytheon sold overpriced missiles and radar equipment to Taiwan, prompting criticism from Taiwanese Nationalist Party representatives, who likened the actions of U.S. arms dealers to a scam operation. The reporter asked for Wu’s comments on the matter.
Wu firmly stated that China strongly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. He emphasized that the reports merely scratch the surface of a much larger issue. In recent years, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has gone to great lengths to curry favor with the United States, exhausting vast amounts of taxpayer money in an attempt to procure weapons, only to receive outdated and inferior equipment in return. Meanwhile, corrupt officials and arms dealers are the ones profiting from this situation, leading to growing dissent and dissatisfaction among the people of Taiwan.
Wu remarked that “exorbitant prices” and “obsolete equipment” are two well-known characteristics of U.S. military sales to Taiwan. From moldy bulletproof vests to expired ammunition and grossly overpriced missiles and radars, it’s clear that the U.S. is primarily focused on its own interests. He warned that pursuing “Taiwan independence” is a dead end, cautioning that reliance on external forces is futile. Those who attempt to “lean on the U.S. for independence” will ultimately lead themselves to ruin.
