China: US official’s trip to Taiwan will lead to ‘necessary responses’

Chinese officials on Thursday promised to issue “necessary responses” to the U.S. after a top State Department official arrived in Taiwan for economic discussions.

The statement came as U.S. Under Secretary of State, Keith Krach became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in decades when he arrived on the island Thursday.

China’s government considers Taiwan to be a part of the mainland, though the self-governing island does not recognize Beijing’s government.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported that Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said at a press conference in Beijing that his government had lodged “stern representations” with U.S. counterparts in Washington over the visit.

“We urge the U.S. side to fully recognize the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue,” he said, according to the news outlets. “China will make a necessary response depending on how the situation develops.”

U.S. and Taiwanese officials are expected to continue talks about a possible trade deal in the days and weeks ahead, though the two powers remain divided over issues such as imports of pork and beef; U.S. exports of such meats do not meet Taiwanese standards due to it containing ractopamine, an additive meant to enhance leanness of the meat.

The Trump administration and China have seen trade talks stall the past year as Beijing and Washington have clashed over U.S. restrictions on Chinese tech companies such as Huawei, which the Trump administration has deemed a national security threat over alleged connections to the Chinese military.

Taiwan’s government refers to the island as the Republic of China, a situation that has existed since China’s previous government fled to the island as a result of the Chinese Civil War.