China firmly opposes US defense bill, mainland official says

The Chinese mainland expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Taiwan-related provisions in the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, according to a mainland spokesperson.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Friday that Washington had inserted erroneous Taiwan-related content into the NDAA in an attempt to further "arm Taiwan", interfere in China's internal affairs, and send a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, moves that the Chinese mainland strongly opposes.

US President Donald Trump signed the NDAA into law on Thursday. The act includes provisions allocating up to $1 billion to the so-called Taiwan security cooperation initiative.

"We urge the US to refrain from implementing the Taiwan-related provisions of the act, eliminate their negative impact, and handle the Taiwan question with the utmost caution," Chen said. He also called on Washington to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China–US Joint Communiques.

Chen further warned the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan that no matter how they seek "independence" by relying on the US, they cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China.

Such actions, he said, cannot alter the inevitable failure of "separatism" or block the historical trend toward China's inevitable reunification.