Beijing calls off US military contact

Washington: China has abruptly cancelled a series of military and diplomatic contacts with the United States to protest a planned multi-billion dollar US arms sale to Taiwan, American officials said.

Beijing has notified the US that it will not go forward with several senior level visits and other cooperative military-to-military plans, said Marine Major Stewart Upton, a Defence Department spokesman.

"In response to...Taiwan arms sales, ... China cancelled or postponed several military-to-military exchanges," he said.