China voices concerns on US moves in Straits

China has conveyed its concern to the United States over US Navy ships' latest voyage through the Taiwan Straits, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday.

China paid close attention to the US naval ships' movement in the Straits and monitored the entire process, Lu said at a regular news conference in Beijing.

"The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive part of China-US relations," he said. "We urge the US to adhere to the one-China policy and the three joint communiques between the two countries, and to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly to avoid having a negative impact on China-US relations as well as to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits."

The US Navy said on Thursday that it sent two of its vessels-the USS Preble, a guided-missile destroyer, and USNS Walter S Diehl, a fleet replenishment oiler, through the Taiwan Straits on Wednesday.

Taiwan's defense authority said on Thursday in a statement that the US ships passed through the Straits from south to north "without incident".

A senior researcher from the People's Liberation Army Navy said the US should stop making provocative actions toward China, especially those pertaining to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the US should remember its promises on regional peace and stability.

"The Chinese military has the determination and necessary means to safeguard our sovereignty, territorial integrity and other national interests," he said.

On Monday, the destroyer USS Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of China's Huangyan Island in the South China Sea without the Chinese government's permission. The PLA Navy sent its aircraft and ships to warn off the US vessel.