China suspends military exchanges with US

Beijing, January 30: Chinese state media says the Defence Ministry is suspending military exchanges with the United States over its planned USD 6.4 billion arms sale to neighbouring Taiwan.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency says the suspension of the scheduled visits by military personnel is because of the “bad impact” of the weapons deal on the two countries’ military relations.

China has already warned the United States the planned arms sale would harm overall relations.

Details of the arms sale were posted on Friday on a Pentagon Web site.

Taiwan is the most sensitive matter in US-China relations. China claims the self-governing island as its own after the two sides split after a civil war.

-Agencies