THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council yesterday reiterated that the Taiwan question falls into the ambit of China’s internal affairs and any external interference into the matter will not be tolerated.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen made a speech at yesterday’s inauguration ceremony and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a message to Tsai, trumpeting the so-called U.S. partnership with Taiwan.

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it.

China firmly opposes and condemns Pompeo’s remarks and urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle as well as the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and handle Taiwan-related issues carefully and properly.

The U.S. recognizes the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and in this context, the people of the U.S. will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan, the statement reiterated the content in the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America.

Moreover, China’s Ministry of National Defense stressed in a statement that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has the resolve, confidence and ability to defeat separatist attempts for “Taiwan independence” in any form as well as any external interference.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said yesterday that current cross-Straits relations are difficult and complicated, and any attempt to separate Taiwan from China will not be tolerated.

According to Ma, the DPP’s rejection of the 1992 Consensus unilaterally destroys cross-Straits relations and the political base for peaceful development, which is against the trend of time.

Noting the attempts by certain Taiwan organizations to plot “Taiwan Independence” through the so-called referendum for constitutional revision, the spokesperson said they pose a serious threat to the peace and stability of cross-Straits relations and severely damage China’s core national interests and the rights and interests of people from both sides. 

(CGTN)