(Recasts, adds comments from White House national security
adviser in Manila, previous BEIJING)
BEIJING/MANILA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China will respond to the
reported visit of a U.S. Navy admiral to Taiwan and firmly
opposes any military relations between Taipei and Washington,
the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday as a senior U.S.
official praised their ties with Taipei.
A two-star Navy admiral overseeing U.S. military
intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced
visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Neither
Taiwan nor the United States has officially confirmed the trip.
The Trump administration has ramped up support for Taiwan,
including with new arms sales, alarming China, which views the
democratic island as one of its provinces with no right to
state-to-state ties.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China
"resolutely opposes" any form of exchanges between U.S. and
Taiwanese officials or the two having military relations.
China urges the United States to fully recognise the extreme
sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, Zhao told a news briefing.
"The Chinese side will, according to how the situation
develops, make a legitimate and necessary response," he said,
without elaborating.
China reacted with fury when U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar
came to Taipei in August, followed by U.S. Undersecretary of
State Keith Krach in September, sending warplanes near to the
island each time.
Speaking during a visit to Manila, White House national
security adviser Robert O'Brien underscored the U.S. commitment
to Taiwan, saying that as democracies they have a lot in common.
"I can't imagine anything that will cause a greater backlash
against China from the entire world if they attempted to use
military force to coerce Taiwan," he said. "The U.S. is with her
friends in Taipei. We will continue to be there."
In Beijing, Zhao also expressed displeasure with the signing
of a memorandum of understanding on economic exchanges following
a meeting between Taiwanese and U.S. officials in
Washington. China has already lodged "stern representations" with the
United States, which should stop having these kinds of
interactions with Taiwan, he added.