Beijing Warns Taipei Against Over US' Taiwan Travel Act Adoption

BEIJING (Sputnik) – A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council has warned Taiwan that if Taipei continued relying on foreign support, it might face undesirable consequences after US congressmen passed a bill encouraging bilateral visits by US and Taiwan officials.

"It seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, and we are firmly against the act … We sternly warn Taiwan not to rely on foreigners to build you up, or it will only draw fire against yourself," An Fengshan, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council, said as quoted by the Xinhua news agency.

On Wednesday, the US Senate passed the Taiwan Travel Act, facilitating mutual trips and meetings between officials from Taiwan and the United States. The US House of Representatives passed the bill in January, thus the legislation needs to be signed by US President Donald Trump to become law.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that Beijing had made a representation to Washington after the US Senate had unilaterally adopted the Taiwan Travel Act.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with the bill and resolutely opposes it, and has already lodged stern representations with the US side," the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

READ MORE: China Lodges Complaint to US After Adoption of Taiwan Relations Bill

China has repeatedly expressed opposition to US contacts with Taiwan, the independence of which is not recognized by Beijing as it regards the island as a breakaway province. 

The United States, along with many other countries, does not acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign nation and officially adheres to the "One China" policy. Nevertheless, Washington has kept informal relations with the island nation after severing diplomatic ties with it in 1979.