The US should understand that supplying arms to Taiwan will have extremely serious consequences. Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of China, announced this at a briefing—and commenting on the reports about the possible delivery of American weapons, worth about $2 billion, to Taiwan.

"The Taiwan issue is the most important of China's core interests, and it is the first red line in Sino-US relations that cannot be crossed," Zhang said. "China urges the United States to truly understand the serious consequences of arming Taiwan and what will happen if it seeks trouble on its own."

Washington "must not continue on the wrong path," added the Chinese defense ministry spox.

According to Zhang, "the US is sucking the blood of Taiwanese people to fertilize its own military-industrial complex."