China warns Europe over Taiwan and other differences

Berlin, Sep 1 (efe-epa).- Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi warned on Tuesday that Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil’s visit to Taiwan had “crossed a red line”.

Wang made the comments during a visit to Germany at a joint press conference with his Germany counterpart Heiko Maas.

The Chinese politician also warned that questioning whether Taiwan is part of China’s territory is “foreign interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

Wang said China “must resolutely defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

He has denounced Vystrcil’s trip to the Asian island and warned he will pay a “heavy price” for his “short-sighted behavior”.

His comments prompted Prague to summon the Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic.

Wang also highlighted the main areas of disagreement between Beijing and Berlin at Tuesday’s briefing.

These issues include the situation of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, Hong Kong’s new security law, Huawei technology firm and the implementation of the 5G communication network in Europe.

Despite intense trade between the two countries, relations have cooled in recent months due to these issues, as well as to China’s reaction in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Various reports indicate that the Chinese government is keeping one million members of the Uyghur Muslim ethnic group locked in concentration camps in Xinjiang.