China voices firm opposition to agreements with sovereignty implications between U.S., Taiwan region

BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Thursday expressed firm opposition to the discussion and signing of any agreement with implications of sovereignty or of official nature between the United States and China's Taiwan region.

Ma made the remarks in response to a recent announcement by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities about the launch of a so-called "initiative on 21st-century trade" with the U.S. side.

He said the DPP authorities colluded with external forces to seek "Taiwan independence" and selfish political gains at the cost of the interests of the island's enterprises and people.

The spokesperson also urged the U.S. side to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, warning that attempts to use the "Taiwan card" to contain China are bound to fail.