BEIJING, March 21./TASS/. Chinese authorities are vehemently opposed to Taiwanese regional leader Tsai Ing-wen’s US visit during her trip to Guatemala and Belize as well as her possible meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.

"We are strongly against any official contacts between the US and Taiwan and insist that the US side respect the 'one China' principle," he stressed at the briefing.

According to the Chinese diplomat, Washington must stay true to its word that it will not support separatist attitudes in Taiwan. US officials should immediately stop communicating with Taipei, Wang Wenbin stressed.

"We once again warn the Taiwanese administration: independence in Taiwan has no future," he went on to say. "China will adamantly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he summed up.

Early in March, McCarthy confirmed that he would meet with Tsai Ing-wen on US soil, not during a visit to Taiwan as was initially scheduled.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait ratcheted up following then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei on August 2-3, 2022.

Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the remaining Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. Beijing regards the island as one of its provinces and this position is supported by most countries, including Russia.