The Financial Times recently published a wrongful report related to Taiwan, gravely violating China's sovereignty, interfering in China's internal affairs and seriously misleading the public. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy sent a letter to the newspaper in refutation of the report. The full text of the letter is as follows:

Your article on 12th February entitled "China balloons cross Taiwan airspace 'very frequently' " openly referred to Taiwan as a "country" and Taiwan's defence department as "defence ministry", gravely violating China's sovereignty, interfering in China's internal affairs and seriously misleading the public. We are firmly opposed to this.

Taiwan has never been a country, and there is no so-called "Taiwan's defence ministry". There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and Taiwan affairs are purely China's internal affairs. The one-China principle is a red line that shall not be crossed and a universal consensus of the international community. It is also the political foundation and prerequisite for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and all other countries in the world, including the UK. Any attempt to distort the facts or deny and challenge the one-China principle will end in failure.

The remarks of the Taiwan authorities quoted by your report are utterly groundless. The attempt is to play up the so-called "threat posed by Chinese mainland" and stoke cross-Strait tensions, endangering regional peace and stability. It is deeply unpopular and will go nowhere. China will never allow the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces to split Taiwan from China under any name or by any means.

Your report also insinuates the relevance of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship drifted into the US airspace, an unintended, unexpected and isolated incident caused by force majeure. China has stressed time and again that the unmanned airship is a civilian one for meteorological research purposes which affected by the weather deviated from its course. It is by no means a "spy balloon" claimed by the US side. China has communicated this to the US multiple times in a transparent and professional manner, but the US has overreacted, abused the use of force and escalated the situation in an extremely irresponsible and dangerous way. What the US has done has severely impacted and damaged the efforts and progress the two sides had made to stabilise China-US relations since the two leaders' meeting in Bali. China firmly opposes this and will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests.

We hope the Financial Times will follow the principle of objectivity, fairness and professionalism in your reporting related to China, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stop publishing remarks that violate the one-China principle and interfere in China's internal affairs.

The Financial Times published the relevant content of the refutation letter on 1 March.