China protests US legislation backing Taiwan bid to join ICAO

China today protested to the US over its legislation backing Taiwan's bid to join the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a move to accord a semblance of recognition to the estranged island.
China firmly opposes US legislation on Taiwan's bid to join the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and lodged a protest with US over the new legislation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement here today.
"Taiwan's participation in international organisations, including the ICAO, is part of the internal affairs among the Chinese and the Chinese side opposes the interference of any foreign government, organisation or individual," it said.

On Friday, US President Barack Obama signed the bill, which passed both chambers of the US Congress in June, to endorse Taiwan's campaign to join the ICAO as an observer member.
Media reports say an ICAO assembly in September is expected to vote on Taiwan's status.
The US bill has "seriously violated" the one-China policy as well as the three China-US joint communiques, and the Chinese side has lodged solemn representations to the US side, Hua said, official media reported here.

"We urge the US side to strictly fulfil its commitment to the Chinese side on Taiwan-related issues, handle those issues in a cautious and appropriate way, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," she said.

"(The US side) should do more things that are conducive to the peaceful development of the relationship between the two sides across the (Taiwan) Strait, not the other way round," she said.
Taiwan broke away from China amid a civil war in 1949 and Beijing opposes the island's efforts to join most international organisations.
The hardening of China's stand on allowing Taiwan to join ICAO comes at a time when the two sides worked out a series of confidence building measures to improve relations including signing a free trade deal last month.
The Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement, or ECFA, will cut tariffs on 539 items from Taiwan valued at USD 13.8 billion, or about 16 per cent of the island's 2009 exports to the mainland.

Taiwan will cut tariffs on 267 items from China worth USD 2.86 billion, or about 10.5 per cent of the country's shipments to Taiwan in 2009.