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China's foreign ministry has criticized the U.S. government for allowing former Taiwan president Lee Teung-hui to tour the United States. China's official news agency quotes a foreign ministry spokesman (Kong Quan) as saying Beijing strongly opposes the visit, and urges Washington to not send "wrong signals" suggesting it supports Taiwan independence.
The U.S. State Department says Mr. Lee Teung-hui is a private individual and it views his visit in that regard. The former president has been a prominent support of Taiwan's independence movement since leaving office in 2000. In 1995, China responded to his visit to his alma mater Cornell University by test-firing missiles off the coast of Taiwan. Washington later sent two battle carrier groups to the region.
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