Taiwan's attempts to gain independence with the help of the US will surely lead to a "sad end," Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Taiwan's Chief Executive Lai Ching-te congratulated US Senator Mark Rubio, twice the target of Beijing's sanctions, on his appointment as secretary of state in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Lai also thanked Rubio for his support of Taiwan.
"Whoever occupies whatever post in the new US administration will not change Taiwan's status as part of China. In its attempts to gain independence with the help of the US, Lai Ching-te's government will surely meet a sad end and become a victim," the spokesman told a briefing.
Taiwan has been ruled independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan, a territory with its own elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country, although it has stopped short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contact with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.
MNA/
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