U.S. Navy ships routinely transit the Taiwan Strait, which lies in international waters and is a main conduit between the South China Sea and northern waters used by China, Japan, South Korea and others.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China considers the delegation’s visit a “serious violation” of U.S. commitments not to have formal relations with Taiwan.
A State Department officials expressed “serious concerns” about China’s military presence and construction of facilities at the base and sought clarification of why two U.S.-funded buildings there had been demolished without notification or explanation.
China routinely objects to the U.S. military presence in the South China Sea, which it claims virtually in its entirety, as well as the passage of Navy ships through the Taiwan Strait.
Discussions are underway among military planners with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Kabul for a possible withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan as early as July 4, Germany's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.