China opposes planned U.S. visit by Taiwan vice president

BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Thursday said it firmly opposes any form of official exchange between the United States and Taiwan, and resolutely opposes “sneaky visits” by Taiwan “independence separatists”.

China urges the U.S. to stop official U.S.-Taiwan contacts and to stop escalating U.S.-Taiwan “substantive” relations, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan Vice President William Lai will stop in New York and San Francisco in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay which is he visiting for the inauguration of its new president.

(Reporting by Twinnie Siu in Hong Kong and Ella Cao in Beijing; editing by Jason Neely)