China on Monday warned against a reported plan by US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Taiwan this spring, urging Washington to abide by the one-China principle and refrain from doing anything that could affect bilateral relations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference that Beijing is "opposed to any official interactions with Taiwan" from any country that has diplomatic ties with China.
A visit to Taiwan conducted last August by McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi provoked a fierce reaction from Beijing, which responded by conducting large-scale military drills near the self-ruled democratic island and suspending dialogue with the United States over a range of areas.
According to US media reports, the Defense Department is making preparations for McCarthy's visit to Taiwan. Mao warned the United States against undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Pelosi's visit to Taiwan marked the first trip to the island by the third-highest-ranking official in the United States in 25 years.
Communist-led China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. Beijing regards the island as a renegade province to be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
