Beijing has slammed the United States and other states for breaching the ‘One China policy by offering congratulations to President Tsai Ing-wen of self-ruled Taiwan on her re-election.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was reacting on Sunday to the statements issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as top diplomats from Britain and Japan to congratulate Tsai, a strong opponent of the internationally-recognized ‘One China principle.
Tsai, of Taiwans pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was re-elected over the weekend with some 57 percent of the vote, while Beijing-friendly rival Han Kuo-yu from the opposition party Kuomintang received 39 percent.
Sheng further said Taiwan - which is viewed by Beijing as a wayward province - was "a local affair in China."
"China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to [the congratulatory messages] and has made solemn representations to the countries concerned," Geng was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as saying.
"It is hoped that the countries concerned will earnestly abide by the ‘One China principle, not develop any official relations and conduct any official exchanges with Taiwan, handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly, not send any wrong signals to Taiwan pro-independence forces," he added.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory under the ‘One China policy, which refers to the diplomatic acknowledgement that there is only one state called China, despite the existence of two governments, one in Beijing and another in Taipei.
Most world states - including the US, Japan and Britain - recognize the policy.
Beijing is especially angry with Washington, which has been courting Taipei, including in the form of extensive military cooperation.
Meanwhile, Chinese state media cast doubt on the legitimacy of Tsais campaign by accusing the Taiwanese leader of using "dirty tactics" such as "cheating, repression and intimidation to get votes."
In an op-ed on Sunday, Xinhua said "external dark forces" were partly responsible for the election results.
Chinese state media have also accused Tsai for fear-mongering as she frequently invokes Hong Kongs protests as a warning about a Beijing-controlled Taiwan.
Tsai and her party are "orchestrating tensions," wrote the nationalistic Global Times on Saturday.
At the end of 2019, the Taiwanese leader "wantonly hyped up the so-called threat from the Chinese mainland while slandering Han Kuo-yus mainland connections," it said.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/12695
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