China vows countermeasures in response to US highranking officials’ Taiwan visits

BEIJING - China will take legitimate countermeasures in response to recent visits of US highranking officials to Taiwan, including measures targeting relevant individuals, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday. Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular press briefing, urging the US side to stop any form of official exchanges with the island. According to media reports, US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach visited Taiwan last week and met its leader Tsai Ing-wen, after US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s visit in August.

“China firmly opposes any kind of official ties between the United States and the Taiwan region,” Wang said, adding the recent visits by US officials have seriously violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques. “It is a political provocation that emboldens ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and undermines China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he added. “China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it. We will take countermeasures, including against relevant individuals,” said the spokesperson, adding the US moves will further jeopardize coordination and cooperation between the two countries on major international and regional issues. “The US side must take full responsibility of the consequences.” Wang said China is determined in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposing interference in its internal affairs by external forces, and achieving national reunification.

“We solemnly inform the United States that ‘Taiwan independence’ will only lead to a dead end, and any attempts to condone and support ‘Taiwan independence’ are doomed to fail,” Wang said. “Any attempt to hurt China’s core interests and interfere in China’s internal affairs will be met with strong reactions. The historical trend of China’s reunification won’t be stopped by any force.” “China urges the United States to correct its mistakes, fulfill its commitments in the three joint communiques, stop its official exchange and military ties with Taiwan, and stop its interference in China’s internal affairs as well as words and deeds that undermine China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said. (Xinhua)