Beijing firmly opposed the Taiwan Policy Act approved by US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing on Thursday. China slammed the bill, saying it "violates the one-China principle" and "sends serious wrong signals to Taiwan independence and separatist forces." The US Senate committee took the first step on Wednesday toward the United States directly providing billions of dollars in military aid to Taiwan and making ties more official, ramping up support following soaring tensions with Beijing. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES