"China is firmly opposed to any official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear," Zhao said at a daily briefing.
The spokesman urged the United States to be mindful of the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and respect the "One-China principle." He also cited three China-US joint statements, calling upon the US to refrain from any official contacts with Taiwan for the sake of preserving regional stability and avoiding harm to the cooperation with China.
"China will take the necessary response measures appropriate to the situation's development," the spokesman added.
Earlier in the day, Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said that an EPA delegation led by Wheeler might visit Taiwan in December.
If the visit indeed takes place, Wheeler will become the third high-ranking US official to visit Taiwan this year, after Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach and Health Secretary Alex Azar.
China objects that Taiwan, which also refers to itself as the Republic of China (ROC), engage in any official relations with sovereign states, insisting that only one sovereign state named China exists on the political map, hence the "One-China" principle.
