China opposes any official engagements between its diplomatic partners and Taiwan authorities: FM

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes official interactions and engagements of any form between the Taiwan authorities and countries having diplomatic ties with China, and does not allow interference in its internal affairs by any external forces, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Monday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a media report that some Panamanian lawmakers recently set up a so-called "Panama-Taiwan parliamentary exchange group" and U.S. lawmakers attended the launch of the group via video link.

According to the report, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino reiterated that "foreign relations are directed by the Executive," and that parliamentarians' engagements with Taiwan "does not mean that the Executive endorses them."

There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, Guo said.

"We urge those few politicians to see the real picture. To cross the line on the Taiwan question will lead to serious consequences," he said.

The establishment of this so-called "parliamentary exchange group" seriously violates the one-China principle upheld by Panama, the spokesperson said.

"We noted the statement of the Panamanian government and hope that Panama will honor its commitment to the one-China principle with real actions to uphold the political foundation of China-Panama relations," Guo said.

China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop sending the wrong message to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and stop disrupting and sabotaging China-Panama relations, the spokesperson said. Enditem