ISTANBUL

China has slammed British lawmakers' visit to Taiwan, calling it "gross interference" in its internal affairs.

“In disregard of China’s firm opposition,” said an unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK on Thursday, “the relevant UK MPs went ahead with their visit to the Taiwan region of China.”

A delegation led by ruling Conservative Party MP Alicia Kearns has arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day visit. During their stay, the lawmakers have scheduled meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior government figures of the self-governing island republic, which China claims as its "breakaway province."

The Chinese Embassy in London condemned the visit and lodged a protest with the UK side, saying “this is a flagrant violation of the one-China principle and a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, and it sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence'.”

It said Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair.”

“The one-China principle is a recognized basic norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. It is also the political basis for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the UK,” the embassy said.

The British delegation has parliamentarians from different parties, including Conservative Party's Royston Smith, Labour Party's Liam Byrne, Scottish National Party's Stewart Malcolm McDonald, and independent MP Neil Coyle, as well as two aides.

London’s relations with Beijing are also undergoing apparent strain after an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and newly picked British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was canceled last month on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Sunak, early this week, in his debut foreign policy statement said the “golden era of UK-China relations was over.”

He said Beijing posed a “systemic challenge to our values and interests” which is “growing more acute.”

On the trip to Taiwan, a nation of around 24 million people that has insisted on its independence since 1949, the Chinese Embassy said Beijing “urges the UK side to abide by its commitment, stop any actions that violate the one-China principle, and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

“Moves of the UK side that undermine China’s interests will be met with forceful responses from the Chinese side,” the spokesperson added.