US urged to cease official contacts with island

China urged the United States on Monday to handle the Taiwan question in a prudent manner and stop sending any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence "separatist forces after three US senators flew to Taipei in a US Air Force transport plane.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China "firmly opposed" the visit, which was a grave breach of the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, and has lodged a solemn representation with the US.

"We urge the US side to immediately cease any forms of official contacts with Taiwan, handle the Taiwan question with caution and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the separatist forces of 'Taiwan independence' so as to avoid causing further serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits," Wang said at a news conference in Beijing.

Also on Monday, another spokesman of the Chinese mainland denounced Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party administration for its political activities seeking "independence" after three US senators recently visited the island.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the COVID-19 situation on the island continues to worsen, but the DPP administration ignored the lives, health and safety of Taiwan compatriots and deliberately provoked cross-Straits relations and created trouble.

"It once again exposed the DPP administration's attempt to seek 'independence'," he said, adding that they had no regard for the lives of Taiwan people and carried out political activities regardless of their health and well-being.

Ma urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiques, properly handle Taiwan-related affairs and cease any form of official and military interactions with the island.

Manipulation opposed

Wang, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, also urged relevant personnel from the US and Canada to stop political manipulation related to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and not to stand in opposition to athletes and Winter Olympics enthusiasts from all countries.

It is reported that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed Beijing's hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics gave an opportunity for countries to put pressure on China over human rights issues, adding that he would raise the matter at a Group of Seven leaders' summit next week. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, also called for boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

"The US and Canada, instead of squarely facing up to and addressing their own grave human rights problems, fabricated excuses to smear and attack China's human rights situation," Wang said.

"It fully exposes their consistent double standards regarding human rights and political maneuvers to manipulate human rights issues in a bid to serve their own selfish gains," he added.

"What I want to stress is that politicizing sports runs counter to the spirit of the Olympic Charter and jeopardizes the interests of athletes of all countries and the international Olympic cause," Wang said.

Many governments and Olympic committees of various countries and all sectors of the international community, including the International Olympic Committee, have made it clear that they oppose these moves, the spokesman added.

Zhang Yi and Zhao Jia contributed to this story.