Beijing says US senators’ visit to Taiwan will embolden ‘separatist forces’

Beijing condemned a visit by two US Republican senators to Taiwan on Friday, saying it sent a “seriously wrong signal” to “separatist forces”.

The visit by Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer came at a sensitive time, with the two countries locked in trade talks and discussions about a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

“China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said.

He said the visit, which included a meeting with the island’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, was “a serious violation of the one-China principle [that] undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and sends a seriously wrong signal to separatist forces”.

He added that Washington needed to stop supporting “forces advocating Taiwan independence” and “creating factors that heighten tensions across the Taiwan Strait”.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise it as an independent state, but Washington opposes any attempt to take the island by force and is legally bound to provide arms to help it defend itself.