China firmly opposes any sort of official relationship between U.S., Taiwan: spokesperson

Tourists take photos with the Taipei 101 skyscraper in the background at Xiangshan Mountain in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, July 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China has lodged solemn representations with the United States over the U.S. government sending a delegation to the Taiwan region, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing when commenting on U.S. President Joe Biden sending a delegation of former U.S. officials to Taiwan, scheduled to visit the island from Wednesday to Friday.

Reiterating China's firm opposition to any form of official contact between the United States and Taiwan, Zhao noted that this position is consistent and clear.

"We urge the United States side to strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, immediately stop any form of official contacts between the United States and Taiwan, prudently handle Taiwan-related issues, and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces so as to avoid further damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the spokesperson said.