Beijing protests over potential US warship visits to Taiwan
Trump signs defence budget urging consideration of US Navy port calls on the island
Beijing said on Thursday that it lodged an official protest with Washington after US President Donald Trump signed a defence budget that opens the possibility for US warships to visit self-ruled Taiwan.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the legislation, while non-binding, violated the one-China policy and “constitutes an interference in China’s domestic affairs”.
“We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges or military links between Taiwan and the US, as well as US arms sales to Taiwan,” Lu said.
“We hope that the US can fully grasp the damaging nature” of the legislation’s Taiwan clause, he said.
Trump signed the budget on Tuesday, including a clause saying the United States should “consider the advisability and feasibility of re-establishing port of call exchanges between the United States Navy and the Taiwan navy”.
