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China says ties with US damaged, amid naval row AFP US actions over Tibet and Taiwan have damaged relations between China and the United States, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday amid a row over US naval calls to Hong Kong. "Recently, due to the erroneous practices of the US, relations have been disturbed and harmed," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. Liu cited a US congressional medal awarded to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in October as one of the reasons for the damaged ties. China views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous figure seeking independence for Tibet. Liu also referred to Washington's recent approval of about three billion dollars' worth of weapon sales to Taiwan. China views Taiwan as part of its territory that must eventually be reunified, by force if necessary.
Liu gave his comments when questioned as to why China had blocked US naval vessels from entering Hong Kong recently, moves that have angered senior politicians and military figures in the United States. He did not directly link the blocked naval visits to Taiwan and Tibet, but said China's decisions on whether to allow the vessels into the southern Chinese territory were a question of national sovereignty.
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