Tasnim � Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi condemned �destructive� moves by the US and British governments to interfere in the internal affairs of China.


In a statement released on Friday night, Mousavi expressed the Islamic Republic�s full support for the One China policy.

He further condemned London and Washington for their �destructive� interference in China as well as provocative acts in Taiwan and Hong Kong in recent days.

His comments came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the United States �not to play with fire� regarding Taiwan, as a possible US arms sale to the self-ruled island looms.

The Pentagon said on Monday that the US State Department had approved the sale of 2.2 billion dollars in arms to Taiwan, including 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks, Stinger missiles, and related equipment.

�We urge the US to fully recognize the gravity of the Taiwan question� (and) not to play with fire on the question of Taiwan,� Wang said at a press conference in Hungary on Friday.

He stressed that no foreign force could stop the reunification of mainland China and Taiwan and that there had to be no foreign interference in Chinese internal affairs.

China considers the possible arms sale to Taiwan a breach of its sovereignty over the island, which is self-ruled but is part of Chinese territory. Beijing has also said it would impose sanctions on the US companies that would sell the weapons to Taiwan.

Earlier this month, Beijing also criticized London for interfering in its internal affairs, telling Britain to keep its hands off Hong Kong.

On July 3, China denounced British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as �shameless� and said it had made a diplomatic complaint to London after Hunt warned of consequences if China neglected its commitments to guarantee basic freedoms in Hong Kong.

�In the minds of some people, they regard Hong Kong as still under British rule. They forget ... that Hong Kong has now returned to the embrace of the Motherland,� China�s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, said.

�I tell them: hands off Hong Kong and show respect. This colonial mindset is still haunting the minds of some officials or politicians,� Liu told reporters.

The growing war of words between China and Britain followed mass protests in Hong Kong against a now suspended bill that would allow extradition to mainland China.