Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of China's Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council. Photo: VCG

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council responded to NASA listing China's Taiwan island as a "country" on its website, urging NASA to correct its mistake immediately.

 "We hold a clear and firm attitude that the island of Taiwan is part of China," spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

NASA was recently found to have listed Taiwan as a "country" in an application form for the "send your name to Mars" activity on its website, in which applicants are able to put their names onto a chip and send it into space.

"It has severely violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués. It is not only against the international consensus on the one-China principle, but also hurts Chinese people's feelings," Zhu said.

The three China-US joint communiqués, which acknowledge the Chinese position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China, was signed jointly by China and the US.

Zhu urged NASA, a US federal government agency, to abide by the one-China principle and correct its mistake at once.

Many Chinese netizens who had wanted to participate in the NASA event were angered by the wrong listing of Taiwan island, saying they have decided to withdraw from the activity.

Global Times