The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday criticized comments by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang (秦剛), saying that they deviate from the truth and principles upholding international peace.
In his first media appearance as foreign minister, Qin on the sidelines of the “two sessions” political gathering in Beijing earlier yesterday said that the US was acting with hypocrisy when it defended the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, but not “China’s claim over Taiwan,” as well as when Washington accused China of considering arming Russia while the US is arming Taiwan.
He also blamed the US for tensions over Taiwan.
Photo: AFP
“The Taiwan question is the bedrock of the political foundations of US-China relations and the first red line that must not be crossed in US-China relations,” he said.
Reading from a copy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) constitution, he said, quoting from the preamble: “Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People’s Republic of China. It is the sacred duty of all the Chinese people, including our fellow Chinese in Taiwan, to achieve the great reunification of the motherland.”
“Taiwanese resolutely oppose such commentary,” the MAC said, adding that Beijing has no right to demand that other countries acknowledge its views.
The basis for the “status quo” of the Taiwan Strait and regional peace is that “both sides remain independent of each other,” and not Beijing’s “one China” principle, which distorts the truth and abases Taiwanese sovereignty, it said.
The Republic of China is a sovereign and independent nation and has never been a part of the PRC, nor is Taiwan a part of its governance, it added.
The international community and Taiwan oppose Beijing’s continued machinations in the region, its attempts to divide and conquer Taiwan with “united front” rhetoric, and the touting of its absurd political frameworks on the international stage, it said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said that his ministry has repeatedly stated the “objective truth” that Taiwan is not a part of the PRC.
No matter how Beijing distorts Taiwan’s claims, it cannot change the fact that neither side rules over the other, Liu said.
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