Taiwan is a part of China and has never been and will never be a country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing.
After concluding his state visit to China, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview that the United States is not looking to have someone say "let's go independent because the United States is backing us."
Lai Ching-te, leader of China's Taiwan region, made separatism remarks in response to Trump's statement.
"Lai Ching-te's latest act is just self-defeating, which once again lays bare his separatist stance and intent to advance 'Taiwan separatism'. There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future," said Guo.
Guo said that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China, which constitutes the real status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
"By colluding with external forces to seek independence and attempting to the make the Taiwan question an international issue, the Lai Ching-te authorities are the biggest destroyer of the status quo and the biggest source of disruption to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. 'Taiwan separatism' and cross-Strait peace and stability are as irreconcilable as fire and water. To uphold the one-China principle, one must oppose 'Taiwan separatism'. Any attempts to seek independence with external forces' backing or by force are delusional," said the spokesman.
Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future: spokesman
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Monday called for joint efforts to uphold multilateralism and open cooperation, foster innovation-driven development, strengthen the resilience of industrial and supply chains, and advance reforms in global economic governance.
Han made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit 2026 in Beijing.
In his address, Han urged joint efforts to foster an open and cooperative international economic environment and ensure that advances in science and technology better benefit people of all countries. He also called for better industrial coordination, deeper technical exchanges, tighter standard alignment, and the earnest implementation of the Global Governance Initiative.
Noting that this year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Han said China will continue to pursue high-quality development, expand high-standard opening-up, and foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized. He welcomed enterprises of all countries to further expand their presence in the Chinese market.
Launched in 2022, the summit has been held annually for five years, becoming a key platform for businesses at home and abroad to enhance communication, deepen cooperation and seek common development. More than 800 people attended the event, including representatives from foreign government departments, international organizations, economic institutions, foreign business associations, global trade promotion agencies, as well as Chinese and foreign enterprises.
Before the opening ceremony, Han met with Yolanda Diaz, Spain's second deputy prime minister and minister of labor, who was present at the summit.
Chinese vice president stresses multilateralism, open cooperation
