Illegal military import claims rejected

China has dismissed as groundless claims that it was running agents in the US who were trying to export military equipment. A Taiwan citizen and a Frenchman were charged last week with attempting to illegally export cruise missiles, an F-16 jet engine and Blackhawk helicopter engines to China in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. China's military imports go through strict surveillance. Chinese enterprises will never purchase any military goods that cannot provide legal documents, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao. The US is concerned that Chinese military build-up could result in an attack on Taiwan, should the island declare independence.