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US presidential contender Ted Cruz mentions Taiwan

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – United States Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz mentioned Taiwan in a tweet about a US carrier being refused entrance into Hong Kong, reports said Saturday.
The Texas senator was commenting on a statement by the Pentagon Friday that China had turned down a request by a U.S. carrier strike group including the USS John C. Stennis to dock in Hong Kong.
“US carrier denied port visit in Hong Kong. Proof that PRC isnt (sic) US partner. We should send carrier to Taiwan instead,” Cruz tweeted, in a comment that was not interpreted as a policy statement.
There was no official reason for the denial of entry, but commentators pointed out rising tensions over disputed islands around the region, most particularly in the South China Sea. Washington has generally shared concerns by its allies, including the Philippines and Japan, that China is rapidly fortifying its territorial claims by turning isolated islands into bases for military use.
On April 15, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Stennis as it was transiting through the region.
Cruz has been fighting an uphill battle for the presidential nomination by the Republican Party, which now has billionaire Donald Trump in the lead. Only last February, he was lambasted by China for launching an attempt to rename the plaza in front of its Washington embassy after jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo.