China's foreign ministry has called on Britain to end all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan after a British minister announced plans to visit the island.
Reuters writes about it.
The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Lijian, said at a briefing that the Taiwanese authorities "must stop conspiring with foreign forces."
"We call on the British side to stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan and stop sending false signals to separatist forces about Taiwan's independence," he said.
British Trade Secretary Greg Hands will visit Taiwan this week for trade talks and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, his office said on Monday.
Hands, who is also an MP, will co-host the 25th annual UK-Taiwan trade talks during his two-day visit.
"The personal visit to Taiwan is a clear signal of the UK's commitment to strengthening UK-Taiwanese trade links. Like the UK, Taiwan is committed to free and fair trade underpinned by a rules-based global trading system," the statement said. a statement from his office.
Britain does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the two countries have close economic and informal relations, and Britain maintains a de facto embassy in Taipei.