Beijing, April 15 (UNI/Sputnik) Beijing has urged the US to sever all official contacts with Taiwan, which China considers its unalienable part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday.
The appeal comes after Taiwanese news agency CNA reported that a delegation of six US congressmen, headed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, arrived on the island on Thursday on an unannounced visit for talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and National Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng. Beijing said it firmly opposed any official contact between the US and Taiwan.
“The US should stop official exchanges with Taiwan,” Zhao told reporters, noting that US actions are contrary to the one-China principle and the principles of the three joint communiques between the two countries.
The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China said The Chinese armed forces will conduct military exercises near Taiwan on Friday in light of a visit by US congressmen to the island.
“On April 15, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command sent warships, bombers, fighter jets and other forces to organise multi-purpose combat patrols and conduct sea and air exercises in the East China Sea and around the island of Taiwan,” the command said in a statement.
