TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Chinese defense officials issued stern warnings following the delivery of advanced American M1A2 tanks to Taiwan, according to reports from the Chinese state-affiliated media outlet The Paper (澎湃新闻) on Monday (June 9). Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jiang Bin delivered a pointed message to Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民主進步黨), Taiwan's current governing party, declaring that "American weapons cannot save their lives."
The Paper reported that Jiang sharply criticized what he characterized as provocative actions by the United States and pro-Taiwan independence advocates, accusing both parties of deliberately violating China's core interests and working to disrupt the established status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The defense spokesperson emphasized that Beijing considers the Taiwan issue to be non-negotiable, describing it as China's fundamental core interest and "the primary red line" in the increasingly tense relationship between China and the United States.
According to the Chinese media report, an unnamed former U.S. military official has allegedly revealed that approximately 500 American military personnel are currently operating in Taiwan, a number that dramatically exceeds previous figures disclosed to Congress by more than tenfold. Jiang demanded that Washington immediately terminate all military cooperation with Taipei, issuing a stark warning that continued American military engagement with the island would "only lead to self-destruction" for those involved and ultimately "result in more harm than good."
In response to these developments, Jiang announced that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA, 解放軍), the unified military organization of the People's Republic of China, would intensify its military training programs and combat readiness operations specifically designed to counter any Taiwan independence movements and foreign military interventions. The statement comes as American defense analysts project that the United States plans to substantially increase weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years, with deliveries potentially exceeding the significant levels approved during former President Trump's first administration. ◼