China Takes US to Task over Expected Meeting of House Speaker with Taiwan’s Top Official

China strongly opposes any official communication between Washington and Taipei and demands US explanations over the expected meeting between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the head of Taiwan’s administration, Tsai Ing-wen, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The PRC expresses concern about the information. We have already presented our serious objections to the US side and demanded that the US clarify the situation," Mao Ning, the ministry’s spokeswoman, said at a news conference.

"I want to stress this: China opposes any official communications between Taiwan and the United States," she added, TASS reported.

The spokeswoman said compliance with the agreements on the issue of Taiwan and the one-China principle is the foundation for the development of prosperous relations between the US and China. She also referred to a statement to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang who said earlier that the issue of Taiwan is a red line that Washington shouldn’t cross.

"The real threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the separatist elements in Taiwan," Mao Ning said. - We insist ... the United States should fulfill the promises that the American leadership made, assuring that it would not support the proponents of the so-called independence of Taiwan."

According to Bloomberg, McCarthy confirmed that he would meet with Tsai Ing-wen in the United States, rather than during a visit to the island. However, he did not rule out that he would visit Taiwan in the future.