China: Taiwan a 'wanderer' that will come home

A top Chinese diplomat called Taiwan a "wanderer" that will eventually come home to China, to which a Taiwanese governing council responded it "absolutely will not accept a path laid out by an autocratic political system," Reuters reported.

Speaking to media in Beijing, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attributed recent tensions to Taiwan's attempts to "rely on the United States for independence," adding the U.S. and other countries "use Taiwan to control China."

"It is these perverse actions that have changed the status quo and undermined the peace in the Taiwan Strait, violating the consensus of the international community and the basic norms of international relations," Wang said on Monday.

Wang also said that China has taken "forceful countermeasures" against those who seek Taiwan's formal independence, according to Reuters.

"Taiwan is a wanderer who will eventually come home, not a chess piece to be used by others. China must and will be reunified," Wang added.

China has long claimed Taiwan as its own territory and has built up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty claims, leading to deep concerns from Taiwan and the U.S.

The U.S. maintains a strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan, recognizing Beijing's "One China" policy while also maintaining close cooperation with Taiwan's government.

In a statement to the news agency, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said the country has never been a part of the People's Republic of China.

"It is neither a wanderer nor a chess piece," the council said in its statement. "Only the 23 million people of Taiwan have the right to decide Taiwan's future, and absolutely will not accept a path laid out by an autocratic political system."