China urges Britain to abide by one-China principle: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry on Monday urged Britain to abide by the one-China principle and stop all forms of official contact with Taiwan, following plans by a British minister to visit the island.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing that China has reiterated its principled position on the Taiwan question on multiple occasions.

There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, Zhao said, adding China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China.

The one-China principle is the political foundation of the development of diplomatic ties between China and Britain, Zhao noted.

"We urge Britain to earnestly respect China's sovereignty, adhere to the one-China principle, stop having any form of official interaction with Taiwan, and stop sending wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the spokesperson said.

"The Taiwan authorities should also beware that any attempt to seek independence by colluding with external forces is doomed to fail," Zhao added.