China condemns US' statement on election in China's Taiwan

The Foreign Ministry on Sunday strongly deplored and firmly opposed the United States State Department's statement on the election in China's Taiwan region, saying that the statement goes against the US' own political commitment of maintaining only cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region.

"We have made serious representations to the US side," a ministry spokesperson said in remarks published on its website.

The US statement, which was published on Saturday after the Taiwan regional leader election, "seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and also sends a gravely wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson noted that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.

"The one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations, a prevailing consensus among the international community and the political foundation of China-US relations," the spokesperson said.

China firmly opposes the US having any form of official interaction with Taiwan and interfering in Taiwan affairs in any way or under any pretext, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said that the US should earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and act seriously in accordance with the commitments that have been reaffirmed multiple times by the US leaders to not supporting "Taiwan independence", "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan", and not seeking to use the Taiwan question as a tool to contain China.

"We urge the US to stop interactions of an official nature with Taiwan and stop sending any wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence'," the spokesperson said.