THE United States Congress yesterday put its weight behind the show of American military might in the Taiwan Strait and signalled trouble ahead for China's trading privileges this summer.
A senior Democrat warned of the increasing danger to Beijing's Most Favoured Nation status, and officials began to warn publicly that they feared a fight to prevent members of Congress pulling the plug when President Bill Clinton attempts to renew it in June.
Meanwhile, even as the administration continued its harsh criticism of the Chinese exercises, and pondered its next naval manoeuvres, it tried to calm fears of an imminent war.
The White House and Pentagon confirmed that a second aircraft carrier-led taskforce, headed by the USS Nimitz, was on its way to the exercise area from the Gulf.
Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord called the American naval advance 'precautionary and reassuring'.
'If there's any doubt in Beijing's eyes over whether we would fulfil our obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act, we'd like to think our actions have removed those doubts,' Mr Lord said.