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China's navy rules out U.S. visit
HONG KONG, China -- An anticipated visit by Chinese naval ships to U.S. ports this year will not take place. Beijing has ruled out the visit amid straining Sino-U.S. relations, though diplomats have said a U.S. stopover was never on the agenda. Fleet visits form an important part of military ties between both nations since Chinese naval vessels first stopped off at U.S. ports in 1997. Military exchanges were halted in May 1999 following the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by U.S. warplanes on a NATO mission. Visits resumed in 2000 with a U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser docking at China's port of Qingdao. Chinese navy ships also made U.S. stopovers that year and in 2001. Friday's announcement follows a decision by Washington to allow Taiwan's defense minister Tang Yiau-ming into the U.S. for meetings with senior officials -- a move that left Beijing seething. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhang Qiyue on Thursday urged the United States to stop interfering in China's internal affairs.
She said that China had made "strong representations" to the U.S. over Tang's visit, adding that Washington needed to be fully aware of the importance of the issue of Taiwan in Sino-U.S. relations, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and part of the 'One China' policy and has threatened military force to reign in the independent-minded isle. The United States has vowed to defend the interests of Taiwan. Zhang did not say if a scheduled trip by Vice Presdent Hu Jintao and President Jiang Zemin had been jeopardized by the decision to allow Tang into the U.S. |
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