WELLINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- "Whoever crosses the red line on the Taiwan question will face the consequences," the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said on Thursday, in response to travel bans imposed on a few New Zealand Members of Parliament after they visited the Chinese region.
The MPs visited China's Taiwan region in their capacity as members of parliament recently, disregarding the Chinese side's serious concerns, resolute opposition, and repeated prior warnings, the spokesperson said in remarks published on the embassy's website.
During the visit, they met with several high-ranking local political figures, and their remarks and actions were reported by local media, causing serious adverse political impacts and sending wrong signals to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regime and the "Taiwan independence" forces, said the spokesperson.
"The actions of these MPs violate the one-China principle and constitute interference in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson stated, noting that in accordance with relevant laws of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese side has decided to adopt measures on the individuals concerned, including denial of entry into China (including Hong Kong and Macao).
The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a fundamental norm of international relations. It is the political foundation of China-New Zealand relations, the spokesperson noted.
"At a time when the DDP regime in China's Taiwan region has been seriously departing from the 1992 Consensus, openly challenging the one-China principle, and going further down the path of 'Taiwan independence,' it is all the more important to strictly adhere to the one-China principle," the spokesperson said.
"MPs are not ordinary citizens. China has consistently opposed visits to China's Taiwan region by members of the legislatures of countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, including New Zealand, and this case is no exception," the spokesperson stated. "The New Zealand side should not be surprised."
"We urge the relevant parties to genuinely respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and strictly uphold the one-China principle," the spokesperson added.
