When a Reuters reporter asked Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) about Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung’s (林佳龍) European tour, Lin Jian expressed displeasure, referring to Lin Chia-lung as “merely a local foreign affairs official in China,” and reiterating the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) oft-used claim that Taiwan is a Chinese “province.”
This response is a political falsehood. Although such statements have become standard fare in the CCP’s external messaging, they expose its deepest anxieties. The CCP fears confronting international reality and is even unnerved by the prospect of Taiwan’s subjectivity on the world stage.
The CCP asserts that Taiwan is a “province,” yet it keeps an eye on every diplomatic engagement Taiwan undertakes, condemning international governments and officials who interact with Taiwanese representatives. This absurd contradiction exposes how the CCP has trapped itself in its own logical inconsistency under the fallacy of its so-called “one China” principle. If Taiwan were truly just a province of China, why would the CCP treat Taiwan’s diplomatic visits as matters of importance, guarding against them at all costs?
If a Chinese province can conduct foreign exchanges as it wishes, then why have we not seen the mayor of Chongqing or the secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee make diplomatic visits? Taiwan is not part of China, and every international engagement by Taiwan’s foreign minister stands as an intolerable affront to reality for the CCP.
Lin Jian’s speech and attitude not only reflect the CCP’s persistent rhetoric aimed at degrading Taiwan, but also reveal its deep fear of Taiwan’s democracy and expanding international presence. Lin Jian uses “China’s sovereignty” as an excuse, attempting to deny Taiwan’s existence, while concealing the fact that the CCP could not stop Taiwan’s diplomatic progress. As such statements are frequently repeated, the international community could see the CCP’s true nature as a bully toward Taiwan and might come to recognize the legitimacy of Taiwan as an independent nation.
Lin Chia-lung’s trip to Europe symbolizes democratic Taiwan’s continued drive to deepen international collaboration, demonstrating that Taiwan’s self-directed diplomacy is gaining recognition and support worldwide. If the CCP persists in its self-deception that Taiwan is a “province” of China, while ignoring Taiwan’s legal status and statehood in the international order, it would ultimately forfeit its credibility and its power of discourse in competing with Taiwan.
Elliot Yao is a reviewer.
Translated by Lai Wen-chieh
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