China on March 20 reaffirmed its strong opposition to any visit to Japan by Taiwan's Lee Teng-hui, warning such a visit will have a serious impact on Sino-Japanese relations.

The Chinese side is seriously concerned about such a move (the reported plan for such a visit) motivated by a small group of anti- China forces in Japan, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi.

Sun said Lee's visit to Japan, in whatever form or name, will become a serious political matter in the relations between China and Japan, and is firmly opposed by the Chinese government and people.

The Chinese side sincerely hopes that the Japanese government would strictly abide by its commitments on the Taiwan issue, pay close attention to the matter, and properly deal with it, Sun said.