China Opposes Taiwan and Tibet Legislation Packed Into Spending Bill

 

The $2.3 billion spending bill signed by President Trump includes acts that reaffirm US arms sales to Taiwan and pave the way for sanctions over Tibet

Dave DeCamp 

Posted onDecember 28, 2020CategoriesNewsTagsChina, Trump

On Monday, China warned that legislation included in the massive $2.3 trillion spending package President Trump signed on Sunday would further harm US-China relations. Packed into the appropriations bill is legislation that reaffirms US military support for Taiwan and paves the way for US intervention in Tibet.

The 2020 Taiwan Assurance Act reaffirms the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act that was signed after Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei and opened up with Beijing. The new act restates the US commitment to arming Taiwan. “The US should conduct regular sales and transfers of defense articles to Taiwan in order to enhance its self-defense capabilities,” the act reads.

The Tibet Policy and Support Act that was tacked onto the spending bill will allow US sanctions on any Chinese official the US deems “complicit in identifying or installing a government-approved candidate” to succeed the Dalai Lama. The act also prohibits China from establishing any new consulates in the US until Washington is allowed a diplomatic mission in Tibet.

Responding to Trump signing the legislation, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing is “resolutely opposed” to both bills. “The US should never implement any bills or provisions targeting China,” he said, according to The South China Morning Post.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/12/28/china-opposes-taiwan-and-tibet-legislation-packed-into-spending-bill/