The move "runs contrary to the reaffirmed commitment by the U.S. government to the 'one-China' policy," said Jiang Yu, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. "Approving this draft bill is a serious violation of the fundamental principles of bilateral relations."

Taiwan's Central News Agency reported from Washington that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift official restrictions to allow exchange of visits by high-level Taiwan and American officials.

The amendment passed by the House also proposes to refer to Taiwan as a nation in official documents and allow Taiwanese officials to visit the White House. The bill has yet to be passed by the U.S. Senate.

Beijing protests against foreign trips by Taiwanese leaders and the island's military, saying sovereign nations are allowed formal diplomatic ties.

The United States has no official ties with Taiwan but is the island's main arms supplier.