China has lodged protest with the United States after outgoing President Barack Obama signed a US defense bill that aims for close US-Taiwan military alliance. The defense bill, enacted as "National Defense Authorization Act," suggested that the "US Department of Defense" must conduct senior military exchanges between the United States and Taiwan.

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China's Foreign Ministry immediately took critical note of Taiwan's inclusion in the defense act and issued a statement on late Sunday.

"We urge the U.S. side to abide by its promises made to China on the Taiwan issue, stop U.S.-Taiwan military contacts and arms sales to Taiwan, to avoid damaging Sino-U.S. ties and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the ministry said.

The ministry reiterated that Taiwan is an integral part of the Mainland China and any issue pertaining to Taiwan is its internal matter.

The sensitive issue of Taiwan has been a dominant topic between the US and China ever since Donald Trump's stunning victory in the US presidential election last month.

Analysts said that Trump's overture towards Taiwan is a mere extension of his tirade against China that dominated his month-long election campaigns.

Barely weeks after his unexpected victory, the Republican gave Chinese leadership a hint of his proactive diplomacy by accepting a phone call from the Taiwanese president. This unprecedented act was quickly followed with Trump openly questioning US' commitment to the 'One China' policy in a news interview.

Trump's proposal visa via Taiwan surprised many foreign analysts, who thought that the US president-elect would wait until his official coronation before taking calculated risk against China.

The US has a very complicated relation with self-ruled Taiwan. It does not officially recognize the island nation but has been one of its prominent military and defense equipment suppliers. The Taiwanese leadership considered military relation with the US as immensely critical for countering any future aggression from China.

Tagschina, Taiwan, China and U.S., U.S and Taiwan, U.S Defence Bill, Cross-Strait Relations