Calling the U.S. a "disruptor and saboteur" of East Asian cooperation and regional stability, China has lodged a protest with Washington over Taiwan.
Pointing out a reference to Taiwan during the East Asia Summit by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in Indonesia, Beijing said: "The accusations made by the U.S. delegate were groundless and inconsistent with facts. We are firmly against it and will not accept it."
China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing has "made serious démarches to the U.S."
"Let me stress that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair which brooks no foreign interference," a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Addressing the 18-nation summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Harris emphasized that "freedom of navigation and overflight must be respected in the East China Sea and South China Sea."
Harris also reaffirmed the "importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
"The biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait stems from separatist activities for 'Taiwan independence' and the foreign connivance they receive.
"To effectively uphold cross-Strait peace and stability, it is absolutely necessary to firmly oppose 'Taiwan independence'," said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Urging the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communique, the ministry said: "Countries outside the region need to respect the efforts made by regional countries to develop rules and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea."
Beijing accused the U.S. of "deliberately deviating" from the theme of the summit "to sour the atmosphere for cooperation."
"This runs counter to the wish of the people in the region. It reveals the actual role of the U.S. as a disruptor and saboteur of East Asian cooperation and regional stability," said the statement.
