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The Thomas G Thompson research vessel stopped in the port of Kaohsiung on the southern side of the disputed island on Monday, in a move which has angered officials in Beijing. Taiwan’s Defence Minister, Yen De-fa, defended the 274ft ship’s activities and said the docking was “unrelated to military activity” while the country’s state-owned Central News Agency said the ship was only there to refuel and change crew. But China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang hit back and issued a stark warning to the Pentagon. He said they saw the scientific research vessel’s movements in the South China Sea as threatening. He said that China wanted to “express our solemn concerns to the US” about the ship’s visit which has been viewed by officials in Beijing as a military action which has escalated tensions between the two countries.

Mr Kang added his country “opposes all kinds of military contacts between the US and Taiwan” and said the United States should “stop all forms of official exchanges and military interactions with Taiwan and handle the Taiwan-related issues with caution”. The 27-year-old boat, which is owned by the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research, operates under an agreement with the University of Washington and has capacity for 21 officers, two marine technicians and 36 scientists. Since the end of the Second World War, the Chinese Government has maintained that the island, which is 180km east of the mainland, is still part of their territory but Taipei disputes the claim. Most western countries, including the UK and the US, maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan but the Trump administration’s decision to sell more than £200milion worth of military equipment, including fighter jet parts, last month enraged Beijing.

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The Pentagon announced in September that a deal had been struck with the Taiwanese administration who agreed to buy $330million (£229million) worth of spare parts for F-16, C-130 and F-5 aircraft. At the time, the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the deal also included “systems and related elements of logistics and programme support”. A Pentagon statement said: “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.” But the move infuriated Beijing who saw the sale as a clear sign the US was helping to strengthen Taiwan’s aerial fleet at a time when military might was swinging in favour of China.

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Donald Trump and Melania Trump returning to White House earlier this week after a visit to Florida