Beijing had made "solemn representations" to Washington, a foreign ministry official said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The spokesman said the bill included the proposed sale of landing vessels to Taiwan and high-level military educational exchanges with the island, which Beijing regards as part of its territory.

"The anti-China items ... posed a severe violation of the three Sino-US joint communiques and the one-China policy the US government has reiterated many times that it will abide by," Xinhua cited him saying.

Beijing urged the US administration to oppose the provisions and prevent them from being made into law to avoid harming Sino-US relations, he said.

The House of Representatives Thursday, by a vote of 391 to 34, approved a 422 billion dollar defence funding bill for the 2005 fiscal year.

Washington acknowledges Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China and does not have official relations with the island.

However, Washington is bound by law to provide weapons to help Taiwan defend itself if its security is threatened.

The Taiwan issue is the largest friction point between the United States and China.

US President George W. Bush approved the sale of eight diesel-electric submarines in April 2001 as part of the most comprehensive arms sales to the island since 1992.

However the deal has progressed slowly as the US has not built conventional submarines for more than 40 years.

WAR.WIRE