BEIJING -- China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, properly handle Taiwan-related issues and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a query about the US recently claiming that the country needs to strengthen regional deterrence in the Taiwan Straits.

Ma said that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair that brooks no foreign interference.

The United States' attempts to maintain so-called "deterrence in the Taiwan Straits" will only bring more threats to the peace and stability across the Straits and inflict more harm to the interests and welfare of people across the Straits, said Ma.

"We deplore the US playing the 'Taiwan card,'" said the spokesperson, adding that China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and relevant stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques, prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

The collusion of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority and "Taiwan independence" secessionists with external forces in pursuit of "Taiwan independence" is the root cause of the current complex and grim situation across the Straits, Ma said.

The spokesperson said that it is the common responsibility of the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots, to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He warned that if the "Taiwan independence" forces dare to provoke, "we have the right to take all necessary measures to stop them."