BEIJING (Reuters/AFP) -- Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said Monday that the One China principle will not be changed by the Taiwan election result and will not be shaken by the wrong words and actions of Western politicians.
The Taiwanese re-elected President Tsai Ing-wen, who says Taiwan is an independent country, by a landslide on Saturday. China claims Taiwan as its rightful territory under the One China principle.
China meanwhile defended barring the head of Human Rights Watch from entering Hong Kong, saying non-governmental organizations were responsible for political unrest in the city and should "pay the proper price”.
Kenneth Roth was supposed to give a press conference in Hong Kong this week to unveil the New York-based rights group’s latest global survey, which accuses China of prosecuting "an intensive attack” on international human rights agencies.
The long-time executive director said Sunday that he was turned back by authorities at the city’s airport.
China last month announced sanctions on American NGOs, including HRW, in retaliation for the passage of a US bill backing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
"Allowing or not allowing someone’s entry is China’s sovereign right,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing.
"Plenty of facts and evidence show that the relevant NGO has through various means supported anti-China radicals, encouraged them to engage in extremist, violent and criminal activity, and incited Hong Kong independence separatist activities,” Geng said.
"They bear major responsibility for the current chaos in Hong Kong. These organizations should be punished, and should pay the proper price.”
Hong Kong has been battered by nearly seven months of occasionally violent protests, its biggest political crisis in decades.