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The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan are engaging in political manipulation over participation issues and will only bring embarrassment upon themselves, a spokesperson said at a routine press briefing on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian (File photo: VCG)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian was asked about DPP authorities' decision to skip a high-level World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cameroon after Taiwan was listed as a province of China in visa documents.

China has always adhered to the one-China principle, Lin said. "There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory."

He said China's position on Taiwan's participation in international organizations was consistent and clear: It must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle.

That principle is the political premise for Taiwan's participation in the World Trade Organization, Lin said.

"The DPP authorities have engaged in political manipulation over the issue of participation, using despicable means," he said. "Their attempts to seek so-called 'independence' and provoke confrontation are doomed to fail and will only humiliate themselves."

The international economic and trade order faces severe challenges, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, and the multilateral trading system under serious strain, the ministry spokesperson said.

"The WTO Ministerial Conference is being held in Africa after a decade, which holds special and significant importance," Lin said. "China firmly supports Cameroon in hosting a successful WTO Ministerial Conference."