China says US 'pushing the envelope' on Taiwan with weapon sales

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The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deflected criticism from the U.S. State Department on Thursday, comparing U.S. intervention in Taiwan to the conflict in Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked Thursday for response to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent criticism of the Chinese peace plan for Ukraine.

"China can’t have it both ways when it comes to […] the Russian aggression in Ukraine," Blinken said on March 1. "It can’t be putting forward peace proposals on the one hand, while actually feeding the flames of the fire that Russia has started with the other hand."

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning gestures during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. (AP Photo/Liu Zheng, File)

Mao dismissed Blinken's remark, calling the accusations hypocritical as the U.S. continues to fund the Ukrainian military to repel Russian invading forces.

"The U.S. has been pouring lethal weapons into the battlefield in Ukraine, fanning up the flames and spreading disinformation. We are firmly against that," Mao said.

The spokeswomen went on to cite the Taiwan issue as an example of the U.S. disregarding national sovereignty.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the 2023 Munich Security Conference. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

"The U.S. keeps saying that territorial sovereignty must be respected, but on the Taiwan question, the U.S. has been walking on the edge and pushing the envelope," Mao said. "The U.S. has broken its own political commitments and been selling sophisticated weapons to China’s Taiwan region."

Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, is an island off the coast of the Asian mainland. Taiwan has long declared itself independent of the People's Republic of China and has claimed continuation of governance from the pre-revolutionary Chinese state.

The People's Republic of China — ruled by the Chinese Communist Party — has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. 

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A boat moves through the water at the 68-nautical-mile scenic spot, the closest point in mainland China to the island of Taiwan, in Pingtan in southeastern China's Fujian Province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The United States does not have official relations with Taiwan, but has been stepping up engagement with the island as China seeks to isolate it from global institutions.

Mao continued, "The U.S. needs to reflect on itself, stop sowing confusion, stop trying to mislead the world and stop making presumptions about others based on the U.S.'s own behavior. The U.S. needs to step up to its responsibility, help deescalate tensions and promote dialogue and stop pointing fingers and discrediting other countries." 

The U.S. is preparing to send 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan for training amid the rising tensions, a U.S. official familiar with the planning confirmed to Fox News last week.