Anyone challenging one-China policy will pay heavy price, says Wang Yi

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday warned that anyone challenging the 'one-China' policy will pay a heavy price as he termed a top Czech Republic official's visit to Taiwan as a provocation and short-sighted move.

The Chinese government is under increased pressure over Taiwan after the recent visit of US Health Service Secretary Alex Azar to Taipei, the first high-ranking American official to visit the estranged island which China claims as part of its mainland.

Azar, who is the highest-ranking Cabinet member to visit Taiwan since the US switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979, visited Taiwan in the second week of this month and met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a staunch proponent of Taiwan's independence from China.

Azar's visit was regarded as the major diplomatic setback for Beijing which asserts that the 'one-China' policy constitutes the core of its foreign policy recognised by all the countries which have established diplomatic relations with it.

After Azar, Czech Republic Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil started his visit to Taiwan from Sunday, ignoring Beijing's prior warnings and met top Taiwanese officials. China's state-run Global Times said Vystrci went ahead with the visit despite the opposition from the Czech president Milos Zeman.

Wang, who was in Germany on Monday as part of his visit to the European Union countries, said Beijing will not tolerate the violation of its one-China policy.

He said that anyone who challenges the one-China principle will pay a heavy price, referring to the Czech senate speaker's Taiwan visit, the report said.

Calling Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan a provocation, Wang stressed that the Chinese government and people will not sit idly when challenged by the anti-China power and will let him pay a heavy price for the short-sighted move and political speculation.

The president of the Czech Republic's senate on Monday told an economic forum in Taiwan that freedom and democracy are the basis of prosperity, while the two sides signed agreements on high-tech manufacturing and environmental management despite strong criticism from China over the visit.

Milos Vystrcil is leading a delegation of 89 leaders from the Central European country's political, business, artistic and academic circles on a trip aimed at boosting contacts.

Taiwan relies on such exchanges to counter China's efforts to isolate the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory to be annexed by military force if it deems necessary. Like all but 15 countries, the Czech Republic has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but maintains robust informal contacts. Vystrcil spoke at an economic forum where the sides signed agreements on high-tech manufacturing and environmental management.