Beijing calls on Obama to oppose Taiwan independence

"We urge the United States to honor its commitment ... honor the one-China policy and stop selling weapons to Taiwan," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said when asked to comment on U.S.-China relations after Obama's election win.

"Judging from the development of bilateral relations in the past years, the Taiwan issue is the most sensitive issue."

The "one-China principle" states that there is only one China, which includes the mainland and Taiwan. The two split at the end of a civil war in 1949 and have since been ruled separately.

"We hope the U.S. will properly handle this issue, adhere to the three communiques, adhere to the one-China principle and oppose Taiwan independence, so that our relations will develop in a smooth and stable way," Qin said.

The so-called "three communiques" lay out the ground rules for ties between Beijing and Washington.

One of the main elements of the communiques is a U.S. pledge not to officially recognize Taiwan, a democratic self-ruled island that Beijing considers part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

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