China enraged by French senators' visit to the 'country' Taiwan

China on Friday condemned a visit by a group of French senators to Taiwan, accusing the delegation of undermining relations between Paris and Beijing after the French delegation said the Chinese territory should be called "a country".

The delegation, led by former French defence minister Alain Richard, arrived on the self-ruled democratic island Wednesday for a five-day visit despite warnings from China.

Richard called Taiwan a "country" during a speech after a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen, in a move that infuriated Beijing.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and baulks at the official use of the name Taiwan or any reference to it as a country.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday said Richard made his comment "out of self-interest to undermine relations between China and France".

'Blatant violation'
Zhao said Richard's use of the term "country" had "blatantly violated" international practice, and he urged France to "respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

In a speech after he was conferred a top medal of honour by Tsai, Richard said Taiwan's de facto embassy in Paris has been doing "a very good job in representing your country".

Beijing has tried to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and seethes at any efforts by other countries to build official relations with the island.

It has ramped up pressure on Tsai's government since her 2016 election win and has aggressively tried to dissuade politicians from visiting in recent years.

The Chinese embassy in Paris had also repeatedly warned against the visit, saying in an online statement that it would damage "the image of France".

But Taipei has hailed the trip as a show of support and a move to uphold "free and democratic values" as pressure grows from Beijing.

Taiwan's defence minister said Wednesday that military tensions between the island and China were at their highest in four decades, after around 150 Chinese warplanes -- a record number -- made incursions into Taiwan's air defence zone in recent days.

(– AFP)