China has reiterated the one-China principle as the political foundation of China-U.S. ties. This latest announcement coincides with Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te calling off an overseas trip planned for early August. This came after U.S. media outlets reported that Trump officials may have rejected Lai's request to stopover in the U.S. In response, the Chinese Defense Ministry's spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said on Wednesday that China opposes any form of official exchanges between the Taiwan region and the United States.