Meeting would embolden separatists, send wrong signal, spokesperson says

China on Tuesday slammed a planned meeting between United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and leader of the Taiwan region Tsai Ing-wen, and vowed to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

McCarthy's office confirmed on Monday that the speaker will host a bipartisan meeting on Wednesday in California with Tsai during her so-called stopover in the US. In August, a visit to Taiwan by his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, triggered strong countermeasures by China, including sanctions and intense military drills near the island.

Noting that McCarthy is the number three figure in the US government, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a daily news briefing that the arranged meeting would violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques.

"We urge Washington not to allow Tsai's sneak visit to the US during her 'transit' and not to arrange any meeting or contact between its politicians or officials and Tsai," she said, adding that China will closely monitor the situation.

While commenting on the meeting, a spokesperson for the Chinese consulate general in Los Angeles said on Monday that it would hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, send a wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and have a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, the spokesperson said, adding that the meeting would not be conducive to regional peace and security and would not be in the common interests of the Chinese and US peoples.

Calling Tsai's "transit" a political stunt, the spokesperson said the real intention behind her trip is to seek breakthroughs and propagate "Taiwan independence".

Beijing has lodged a solemn protest and strong condemnation to Washington, but the US still insisted on arranging Tsai's "transit", an act that has emboldened the Taiwan authorities' "independence-seeking" actions, the spokesperson said.

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's interests, and it is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations, the spokesperson said, adding that the US should stop upgrading substantial exchanges with Taiwan and stop trying to contain China by interfering with the Taiwan question.

The actions of the "Taiwan independence" separatists, including Tsai, go against the historical trend, the spokesperson said, adding that relying on the US to seek "Taiwan independence" or becoming pawns of some forces to contain China with the Taiwan question will end in failure.