China Urges United States Not to Play with Fire on Taiwan Issue

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters they had lodged “stern representations” with the United States, according to Reuters.

China urges the United States “not to play with fire on the Taiwan issue, immediately stop any form of US-Taiwan official contacts, cautiously and appropriately handle the matter, and not send wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces so as not to subversively influence and damage Sino-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”, he stated.

The US State Department on Friday issued new guidelines that will enable American officials to meet more freely with officials from Taiwan, a move that deepens relations with Taipei amid tension with Beijing.