China: Negative Provisions Related to China in the US National Defense Authorization Act

Regarding the "National Defense Authorization Act," which contains the United States' defense budget and defense policy, China criticized it for containing negative content about the country. On the 26th, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing, "The US National Defense Authorization Act interferes in China's internal affairs and incites military support for Taiwan. It violates the 'One China' principle," and raised her voice, urging, "We call on the United States to fulfill the promise made by its leaders that it does not support Taiwan independence."

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is holding a regular briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Beijing on the 26th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Mao said, "The United States should implement the outcomes and agreements of the China-US San Francisco summit and not enforce the negative provisions related to China in this bill," adding, "If it insists on doing so, China will firmly and effectively safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests." However, Mao did not explain the specific content of the negative provisions related to China.

Earlier, on the 22nd (local time), US President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets the defense budget at $886 billion (approximately 1,152 trillion won), about a 3% increase from the previous year. The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes provisions to maintain the current size of US Forces Korea and emphasizes the need to strengthen military alliances and cooperative relationships in the Indo-Pacific region to expand comparative advantages in strategic competition with China. It is also reported to contain content emphasizing the importance of sharing defense information with Taiwan and supporting the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States security alliance) security agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.