BEIJING, May 12: China on Friday protested to Indonesia for letting Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian stop in the country on his way back from a visit to Latin America.

Beijing made ‘serious representations’ to Jakarta after Mr Chen’s one-night stop in the resort island of Batam, a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website said.

“We demand Indonesia take practical action to fulfil its commitment to the one-China policy in order to maintain the overall friendly Sino-Indonesian relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in the statement.

The Indonesian government on Friday expressed its regret over the stopover, saying it only gave Mr Chen permission to refuel and had not expected he would leave the airport.

“The permit that was given was for a technical landing because there was some trouble,” Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

“We regret that,” he said of the fact that the president had left the airport and travelled around the island of Batam, where his flight landed. “That was an abuse of the permit that was given,” he added.—Reuters