MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Russia is adamant Taiwan is an integral part of China, the speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, said at a meeting with the visiting chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Li Zhanshu, in Moscow on Friday.

"We regard these trips (by US delegations to Taiwan - TASS) as pre-planned provocations. Russia's high-principled position on the Taiwan issue remains unchanged. We proceed from the fact that there is only one China, that the PRC’s government is the only legitimate government that represents the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an integral part of China," Matviyenko said.

She added that the Western countries were trying to retain "dominance in global politics and the economy" that was slipping away from their hands, and that the United States had set a course towards suppressing any independence.

"They decided to convert Ukraine into a threat to Russia. In the situation involving Taiwan the Americans have demonstrated the same policy in the context of plans to supply weapons to the island and visits by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congress members," Matviyenko stressed.

She pointed out that amid the unprecedented pressure on Russia and China, "it is more important than ever to maintain the well-coordinated work of the Russian-Chinese tandem."

On Wednesday evening, an eight-member delegation of US legislators under Stephanie Murphy, a House member from Florida, arrived in Taiwan. A string of high-ranking US politicians visited the island last month, thus exacerbating tensions between Beijing and Washington. On August 2-3, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. China responded by launching large-scale exercises around the island. Later, several US Congress members, senators and governors made a trip to Taipei. China considers such visits as provocations and interference in its internal affairs.