'We urge the United States to honour its commitment ... honour the one-China policy and stop selling weapons to Taiwan,' foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

He made the remark when asked to comment on US-China relations after Mr Obama's victory in the US presidential election.

The 'one-China principle' states that there is only one China, which includes the mainland and Taiwan. The two split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

'We hope the US will properly handle this issue, adhere to the three communiques, adhere to the one-China principle and oppose Taiwan independence, so that our relations will develop in a smooth and stable way,' Mr Qin said.

The so-called 'three communiques' lay out the ground rules for ties between Beijing and Washington.

One of the main elements of the communiques is a US pledge not to officially recognise Taiwan, a democratic self-ruled island that Beijing considers part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. -- AFP