China deplores, firmly rejects U.S. lawmaker’s Taiwan visit: spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (SANA) – China deplores and firmly rejects a U.S. lawmaker’s visit to China’s Taiwan region, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

According to Xinhua and media reports, U.S. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee is on a visit to Taiwan from Aug. 25 to 27.

In response to a media query, the spokesperson said that the U.S. lawmaker’s visit to China’s Taiwan region seriously violates the One-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and goes against the U.S. commitment of maintaining only non-official ties with the Taiwan region.

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, the spokesperson said.

“We will not waver in opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities and external interference. We urge the relevant U.S. politician to abide by the One-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, immediately stop all forms of official interactions with Taiwan, and immediately stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” the spokesperson said.

China will continue to take strong measures to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesperson added.

Mazen Eyon