BEIJING>> China on Monday pledged to defend its sovereignty and warned against “external interference” after the U.S. unveiled a new security strategy aimed at building up military power to deter conflict with Beijing over Taiwan.

Washington laid out its approach to one of the world’s most sensitive diplomatic issues in its official National Security Strategy released on Friday.

The document came as Beijing last week deployed a large number of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters in its largest show of maritime force to date.

Taiwan is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations and China brooks no external interference, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters in Beijing when asked about the document.

“The U.

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