China urges U.S. to stop official interaction with Taiwan

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a visit to Taiwan by a U.S. congressional delegation violates the One China policy, and that the United States must immediately stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan.

It is a dangerous game to collude with pro-independence forces in Taiwan, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular media briefing. Cross-strait tensions have risen in recent months, with Taiwan complaining for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own.

China has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, despite the island’s claim that it is an independent country that will defend its freedom and democracy.