China said on Tuesday that to challenge the one-China principle is to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin was responding at a regular press conference to remarks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that "the change to the status quo that's prevailed with regard to Taiwan for more than 40 years is coming from Beijing."
"What is the status quo across the Taiwan Strait?" Wang said. "The answer is crystal-clear, i.e., both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China and Taiwan is part of China's territory. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been split."
The one-China principle clearly defines the status quo across the strait, the ministry spokesperson said.
"To uphold this principle is to uphold the status quo," he said. "To violate and challenge this principle is to change the status quo."