China criticizes most recent foreign visit to Taiwan

(MENAFN) China has denounced a recent trip to Taiwan by German legislators, demanding Berlin to cut all ties with "separatist" groups while underlining that the island is a part of Chinese territory. Just one day after Beijing revised its constitution to specifically forbid Taiwanese independence, the group landed in Taipei.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged German diplomats to "immediately cease their interaction with the separatist pro-independence forces in Taiwan" in a statement reported by the DPA news agency on Tuesday, noting that such encounters send the "wrong signals" to Taipei.

The six-person German delegation, led by Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Peter Heidt, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday and subsequently met with President Tsai Ing-wen.

During the visit, Heidt urged the two countries to "continue to expand our good trade relations and continue to work together more closely in the field of science, and, above all, remain in close contact at the political level" He added, "I would like to reiterate from the German perspective, the status quo of the Taiwan Strait could only be changed peacefully and by mutual consent."

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