China expressed condemnation on Sunday to the United States for arranging Taiwan region leader Lai Ching-te’s “stopover” in the country, urging Washington to stop official interaction with the island.

Beijing has lodged serious protests with Washington over the arrangement, the Foreign Ministry said in an online statement after Lai reportedly began his trip to so-called diplomatic allies in the Pacific and has arrived in Hawaii for a “stopover”.

China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a spokesperson said in the statement.

China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region and opposes any trip by leader of the Taiwan authorities to the US in any name or under whatever pretext, the spokesperson said.

Beijing also firmly opposes any form of US connivance or support for “Taiwan independence” separatists and their separatist activities, the spokesperson added.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations, the spokesperson stressed.

The spokesperson urges the US to fully see the separatist nature of Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party authorities and fully understand the grave damage that “Taiwan independence” separatist activities do to cross-Strait peace and stability.

China urges the US to fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, act on the commitments made by US leaders of not supporting “Taiwan independence”, and stop sending any wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, the spokesperson added.

-In Association with ANN