China urges U.S. not to allow Taiwan delegation at Trump's inauguration

Beijing [China], Jan. 19 (ANI): China has urged the United States to not allow any Taiwanese delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and also opposed any official contact between the two sides. Responding to former chief of Taiwan's legislative body, You Xikun, attending the inauguration ceremony, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying yesterday said, "We once again urge relevant parties in the U.S. to allow no delegation sent by the Taiwan authority to attend the inauguration ceremony of the president, and not to have any official contact with Taiwan." She added that this message has also been delivered to the sitting U.S. administration and the Trump transition team. Chunying asserted that China opposes any move by the Taiwan authority to send people to the U.S. to conduct activities that "will disturb or undermine Sino-U.S. relations." Earlier, Trump broke with decades of precedent by taking a congratulatory telephone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, and also said that the one-China policy was up for negotiation, a position Beijing strongly rejected. Later in January, China was also infuriated by Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott, while passing through the state on her way to Nicaragua, Salvador and Guatemala. China has continually reiterated its firm opposition to the U.S-Taiwan diplomatic engagement. (ANI)