ISTANBUL

China on Friday said Taiwan is “an inalienable part” of its territory and warned against any external interference, responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump on maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

“How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

“Taiwan is China’s internal affair that brooks no external interference,” she stressed.

Mao’s remarks came after Trump said a day earlier that he would be “very unhappy” if there were any changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, according to the Beijing-based Global Times.

Trump told the US-based New York Times on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would not attempt to take Taiwan during his presidency, dismissing concerns that Washington’s recent military operation in Venezuela had set a precedent.

“He may do it after we have a different president, but I don’t think he’s going to do it with me as president,” Trump said.

When reminded that China regards Taiwan as a separatist issue, Trump responded: “That’s up to him (Xi), what he’s going to be doing. But, you know, I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that.”

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, while Taipei has maintained de facto independence since 1949.