BEIJING, November 7. /TASS/. Beijing calls on London to stop official contacts with the Taipei administration, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Monday, commenting on a visit to Taiwan by UK Minister of State Greg Hands.
"We call on the UK to respect the sovereignty of China, strictly observe the 'one China' principle and stop all official contacts with Taiwan," Zhao Lijian said. He also added that London should not send false signals to Taiwanese separatists who advocate the island's independence.
The UK government said on Monday that Minister of State Greg Hands had left for Taiwan on a two-day visit during which he would meet with the island's head of administration, Tsai Ing-wen.
During the trip, Hands intends to address trade barriers in the financial, technical, pharmaceutical and food sectors "to promote exports and investment by British firms in Taiwan." The two sides will also discuss wind and hydrogen energy and semiconductor cooperation.
Beijing opposes any contacts between officials of foreign countries and representatives of the Taiwan administration. China considers such visits as provocations and interference in China's domestic affairs.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China, and this position is backed by numerous countries, including Russia.