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Beijing, China
China today expressed concern over US Naval ships passing through Taiwan Straits.
"China has closely watched and has fully grasped the whole route of the United States warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait. China has already expressed our concerns to the United States," a foreign ministry spokesman said.
China had earlier expressed its dissatisfaction over US plans to sell a batch of military parts to the Taiwanese government. The United States sent two Naval ships through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday riling the Communist state.
The Taiwan issue is related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations," the spokesman added.
The US plans to sell F-16 fighter and the C-130 cargo plane including US ship standard spare parts for several aircrafts, a move which was frowned upon by China recently. China had accused US of violating "international laws and norms governing foreign relations".
China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces and has been at loggerheads with the Taiwan government since the 1940s. The US and Taiwan have been close allies since the 1970S with Washington being a major arms supplier to the island nation.
"We urge the United States to respect the one-China principle and the provisions of the three joint communiqués, cautiously and appropriately handle the Taiwan issue, avoid damaging the peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits and China-US relations," the spokesman added.
Taiwan has also been engaged in a bitter conflict with China over the South China Sea along with other nations insisting on "freedom of navigation", a move which was backed by US vice-president Mike Pence earlier.
Pence had said there was no place for "empire and aggression" in the Indo-Pacific region, referring to China's tiff with nations in the Pacific who have opposed China's South China Sea strategy.
The US has often called for a stop to the "militarization" of the South China Sea. The confrontation and conflict approach has marred US-China relations in recent months in the middle of an uncomfortable trade war.