A delegation of MPs visiting Taiwan are “casting a shadow” on Australia’s improving relationship with China.

Chinese paper The Global Times – a government mouthpiece – has penned a scathing editorial saying Australia was “playing with fire” by appearing to support Taiwanese independence.

Six MPs – Labor’s Meryl Swanson and Libby Coker and the Coalition’s Barnaby Joyce, Scott Buchholz, Terry Young and Gavin Pearce – arrived in Taiwan on Monday.

The Global Times‘ piece suggests “those who play with fire will perish by it”.

“The politicians from certain countries who visit Taiwan to seek limelight are like political god of plague and pestilence … they bring nothing but risks and tension to Taiwan and no benefit to their own countries, and they also hijack their own countries’ China policy,” the editorial reads.

“As the Australian MPs’ Taiwan visit is under way, it has already generated negative impacts on the China-Australia relationship.”

Tweet from @globaltimesnews

Opposition senator Simon Birmingham said the visit was simply “business as usual”.

“The Global Times is not known for its moderate commentary, so I’m not surprised to see it commentating in the sorts of tone that it’s applied,” he told ABC Radio.

“In terms of how anybody should read this, be it within Australia or anywhere else around the world, they should see it as the resumption of business as usual.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia on November, raising expectations of closer bilateral ties.

He said on Saturday he had “no idea” what the purpose of the trip was.

“This isn’t a government visit,” the PM said.

“There remains a bipartisan position when it comes to China and when it comes to support for the status quo on Taiwan.”