China lodges formal diplomatic protestwith US embassy

China yesterday summoned the US' senior diplomat in Beijing to protest at Washington's decision to allow Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to stop over in the US en route to Latin America.

Assistant Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong (周文重) lodged a "solemn representation with the US government for its permission of Chen Shui-bian's stopover to the US," the Xinhua news agency said.

The protest was lodged with charge d'affaires Michael Marine, the official news agency said. Marine is currently acting head of the US embassy in Beijing pending the arrival of a new ambassador.

Zhou said "the wrongdoing of the US government seriously dishonored the three Sino-US joint communiques and the commitments made by the US side, stirred the arrogance of the splittist force who sought Taiwan's independence, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs."