ISTANBUL 

Beijing on Monday said it will “never allow anyone or any force to separate” Taiwan from China, doubling down on its claim over the island separated from the mainland by a waterway.

The comments came in reaction to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who claimed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping told him China "will not invade" Taiwan during his presidency.

“Taiwan is inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question is an internal affair of China, and how to resolve the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

“We will do our utmost to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification. But we will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way,” Mao stressed.

Last week, Trump said that Xi told him that he "will never do" it as long as he is the president.

Trump added that he told Xi: "Well, I appreciate that," while the Chinese president also said: "But I am very patient and China is very patient."

The US is Taiwan’s leading arms supplier and major backer on the international stage, though it does not maintain official diplomatic relations with the island in line with most countries.

China claims Taiwan as its “breakaway province,” while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.