Mainland firmly opposes Lai Ching-te's US 'stopover' attempt: spokesperson

BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday voiced firm opposition to Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's attempt to "transit" through the United States under any pretext or in any form.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks when asked for comment on a media report that the US side refused to allow Lai's planned "transit" trip through New York, as he plans to visit several South American countries in August.

Chen stressed that the mainland firmly opposes any form of official interaction between China's Taiwan region and the United States.

The United States should strictly abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to handle Taiwan-related issues with utmost prudence, and to refrain from sending any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, he said.

He also issued a stern warning to the Lai authorities that any attempt to solicit US support for "Taiwan independence" is a waste of effort and doomed to fail.