US told to stop sending wrong signals

China voiced its opposition to the launch of negotiations over a trade agreement between the Taiwan region and the United States, urging the US to avoid negotiating or concluding any official agreement with the region.

The US must not send any erroneous signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces under the pretext of economy and trade, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday, after the US announced that it will commence "formal negotiations "with the region over the "Initiative on 21st Century Trade" this fall.

The one-China principle is the prerequisite for China's Taiwan region to take part in international economic cooperation, and China is consistently opposed to any country negotiating or concluding any trade agreement with the region with implications for sovereignty and of an official nature, Wang said.