Spokesman for the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office Ma Xiaoguang told reporters Wednesday that there could be no deviation from Beijing's insistence that Taiwan recognise it's part of China.
The move by Panama this week was the clearest sign yet of China's drive to increase pressure on Taiwan's independence- leaning President Tsai Ing-wen.
Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party says it wants stable relations with Beijing but hasn't endorsed the "one China" principle. Beijing cut ties with Tsai's government a year ago and has been steadily ratcheting up both diplomatic and economic pressure.