China urged the United States, not to let Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen transit, when she visits Guatemala next month. The move came days after United States president-elect Donald Trump irked Beijing by speaking to Tsai.

Her call with Trump was the first by an American president-elect or president with a Taiwanese leader since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979.

Answering a question about the possibility of a Tsai stopover in the United States, China's Foreign Ministry said that, the "one China" policy, that states Taiwan is part of China, was commonly recognized by the international community.

Reuters reported, the ministry said in a statement, "As for the issue you raise of a 'transit' in the United States by the leader of the Taiwan region, her real aim is self-evident."

China hopes the US "does not allow her transit, and does not send any wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' forces," it added.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that, "What I can say about that is that that kind of transit is based on long-standing U.S. practice, and it's consistent with the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan."

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Nandini