BEIJING, September 26. /TASS/. Respect for the one-China policy is a must for any country that wants to develop relations with China, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Monday.
"Development of bilateral relations requires respect for the interests of both sides. We are hoping that the new Italian government will also commit to a positive and pragmatic policy toward China and will develop relations with China based on mutual respect and trust," he said. "The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair, which brooks no foreign interference. The one-China principle is an established international consensus and a basic norm of international relations. It is the political prerequisite and foundation for Italy and other countries to establish and develop diplomatic relations with China."
The spokesman made the statement as he commented on the position of Italy’s center-right coalition that won that country’s parliamentary elections.
On Monday, a center-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni won Italy's parliamentary elections despite anti-democratic pressure from the European Union. A few days earlier, Meloni criticized Beijing for its policy toward Taiwan.
Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the Kuomintang’s remaining forces headed by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) were defeated in the Chinese Civil War and took refuge on the island. Taiwan has preserved the flag and several other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed before the Communists took over the mainland. Beijing regards the island as one of its provinces, a stance supported by most other countries including Russia.