China warns Taiwan ‘extremists’

CHINA said yesterday that hard-liners in Taiwan were playing a deceitful and dangerous game by seeking independence, and appealed to the United States to oppose those seeking to split the island from the mainland.

"At present, the extremist splittists on the island of Taiwan participating in Taiwan independence activities in the name of human rights and democracy are very deceiving and dangerous," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference.

Mr Liu's comments came just days ahead of a visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to the United States and one day after Washington called on Taiwan to do nothing to change its status and provoke China.