China says opposes US-Taiwan trade initiative

China "firmly" opposes the launch of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, the commerce ministry said on Thursday, adding that the Chinese government opposed any form of official contact between Taiwan and other countries.

"The United States should prudently handle trade and economic ties with Taiwan to avoid sending a wrong message to Taiwan separatists," the ministry spokesman, Gao Feng, told an online briefing.

The United States will launch new trade talks with Taiwan, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.