Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the United States should halt military contact with Taiwan and uphold its commitment to the 1979 One-China agreement. Under the pact, the United States agreed to recognize formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan. "The One China principle is the political foundation of China and U.S. relations," Zhao told reporters Friday. "The U.S. must sever diplomatic relations and abrogate its mutual defense treaty with Taiwan and U.S. forces must withdraw from Taiwan."
Zhao made the statements after the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that a U.S. special-operations unit and a contingent of Marines have been operating in Taiwan for at least a year.
