China Slams Taiwan Vice President as ‘Troublemaker’ After US Stopover

China on Sunday denounced Taiwan Vice President William Lai quick visit to America the previous day, and called him a "separatist" and a “troublemaker through and through."

Lai made a stopover in New York Saturday on his way to Paraguay to attend President-elect Santiago Pena’s inauguration.

Lai "clings stubbornly to the separatist position for ‘Taiwan independence.’ He is a troublemaker through and through," said a statement from China's Foreign Ministry.

"The US and the Taiwan authorities arranged for Lai to engage in political activities in the US in the name of having a ‘stopover.’ This seriously violates the one-China principle, gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement added.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own. The US has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is a key supporter and arms supplier.

Lai, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, is considered the frontrunner in Taiwan's next presidential election in January.

Lai reportedly wasn’t scheduled to meet U.S. lawmakers during the New York stop, but was expected to meet with Taiwanese citizens living abroad.

He also plans to stop in San Francisco on Wednesday as he heads back to Taipei, Reuters reported. 

“China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. We firmly oppose any visit by ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists to the US in any name or under whatever pretext, and we firmly oppose the US government having any form of official contact with the Taiwan region," said China's Foreign Ministry.

"China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called ‘stopover,'" it added.

Lai's visit comes amid China’s ongoing tensions with the United States over Taiwan. Taiwan has maintained its independence and has a separate government from mainland China since 1949. 

A U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet states: "The United States does not support Taiwan independence. Maintaining strong, unofficial relations with Taiwan is a major U.S. goal, in line with the U.S. desire to further peace and stability in Asia."

There was no immediate response from the Biden administration to China's Foreign Ministry statement on Lai.