China warned the two American presidential candidates Thursday against supporting the independence of Taiwan, saying such moves will strain China-US relations.

The warning came after China learnt Barack Obama and John McCain supported a proposed 6.5 billion dollar arms package to Taiwan.

"The Taiwan issue is the core issue in China-US relations," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told journalists.

"Thirty years of bilateral ties have shown that when the Taiwan issue is properly handled, the basis of the relationship is further developed. If not, the ties face twist and turns."

"We hope the two candidates can realise this, and respect and uphold the one-China policy... and oppose Taiwan independence."

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