In late April, China’s Civil Aviation Administration sent a letter to 44 foreign air carriers, pointing out that their websites’ references to Taiwan violate Chinese laws and go against the one-China policy. The letter requested that these companies immediately revise their websites.

A number of the airlines have corrected their websites, referring to Taiwan as Taiwan China. But some airlines including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines have reportedly refused to refer to Taiwan as Chinese territory on their websites.

Recently, it was reported by foreign media that China “shunned” US requests for talks over how US airlines and their websites refer to Taiwan.

At a regular press conference on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang responded to a question about the reports. His response: the one-China principle is nonnegotiable.

“There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an objective fact, common sense, and also the general consensus of the international community. The notice issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China reflects the government’s consistent and firm position on the one-China principle and the request is both reasonable and legal,” Lu said.

Lu said China welcomes the investment of foreign companies but foreign companies operating in China must respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by Chinese laws, and respect the national sentiment of the Chinese people.

Lu also pointed out that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations and is nonnegotiable.

“The US government should urge the relevant companies to abide by the one-China principle and rectify their sites as soon as possible,” Lu stressed.