FM spokesperson urges US to stop official exchanges with Taiwan

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Friday called on the United States to abide by the one-China principle and stop all forms of official exchange with Taiwan.

"We urge the United States to fully understand the highly sensitive nature of the Taiwan question and adhere to the one-China principle and three China-U.S. joint communiques," spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua made the comments in response to U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price's remarks that the United States will continue to consider "opportunities for visits to Washington and Taipei by senior-level authorities" to advance their unofficial relationship.

"We urge the U.S. side to stop the dangerous practice of challenging the bottom line and playing with fire as the previous administration did," Hua said. She called for prudently and properly handling the Taiwan question, and not sending wrong signals to separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence," so as to avoid undermining China-U.S. ties as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Hua noted that the U.S. ambassador to Palau joined the delegation of Palau on a visit to Taiwan, and asked, "Does the United States really care about the people in Taiwan? Or is it using Taiwan as a pawn in its plot to contain China?"

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, Hua said, adding that this is a basic fact recognized by the international community.

"The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. ties, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-U.S. relationship, a red line that should not be crossed," she said.