China press furious at US 'arrogance' on Taiwan

China's state media on Monday lashed out at Washington's "arrogance" and "double standards" in going ahead with arms sales to Taiwan, saying Beijing's threat to penalise US companies over the deal was very real. The Pentagon sparked the latest challenge to China-US ties under President Barack Obama when it approved the $6.4 billion sale to Taiwan of Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, mine-hunting ships and other weaponry. China responded furiously, saying it would suspend military and security contacts with Washington and impose sanctions on US companies involved in the deal.

Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, also warned of "serious harm" to relations. The state-run English-language China Daily and the Global Times accused Obama of being insincere when he said during a visit in November that he did not seek to "contain" China. "China's response, no matter how vehement, is justified," the China Daily said, adding the US move "exposes the US's usage of double standards and hypocrisy on major issues related to China's core interests". "Washington's arrogance also reflects the stark reality of how a nation's interests could be trampled upon by another," it said.

In an official diplomatic protest, China said the row would endanger cooperation with the United States on "key international and regional issues". It did not elaborate, but the comment comes as Washington seeks Beijing's help in curbing the nuclear programmes of Iran and China's ally North Korea. China has repeatedly rejected tougher sanctions on Iran, stressing diplomacy as the only way to resolve the long-running dispute. But in the context of the Taiwan deal, the Global Times said sanctions "can be an effective alternative to other hardline measures to deal with a diplomatic dispute".

"It's time the US was made to feel the heat for the continuing arms sales to Taiwan," said the newspaper, which is run by the People's Daily, the Communist Party's propaganda mouthpiece. "It would be folly to underestimate Chinese unity over the Taiwan question. Punishing companies that sell weapons to Taiwan is a move that would be supported by most Chinese," it said in its English edition. The Chinese edition of the Global Times suggested the government publicise the names of US firms involved in the sales such as aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing so that they "pay a price for hurting China".

It also posted a petition on its Chinese-language website against the arms sale that was signed by more than 55,000 China web users as of early Monday. Many of those who signed also left sharp and sometimes obscene words for Washington and the government of Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou, who has overseen a marked improvement in relations with mainland China. "Firmly support the Chinese government's sanctions, firmly punish companies selling arms to Taiwan, firmly punish Ma Ying-Jeou's government and let the Taiwan people know the danger of buying weapons," said one entry.