Taiwan is part of China, Beijing tells U.S.

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe

Taiwan is a part of China and no one can change that, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Wednesday during a rare phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a statement from Beijing.

"If the Taiwan issue were not handled properly, it would have a damaging impact on Sino-U.S. relations," Wei added, according to statement published by the defence ministry.

Reporting by Meg Shen and Twinnie Siu; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

REUTERS