The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday rejected the claim Beijing has been making about Taiwan’s status, while thanking US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for raising concerns about Taiwan during her meeting with Chinese officials.
Sherman met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on a visit to Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, with Wang urging Washington not to infringe on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Taiwan is part of China, a fundamental fact that would never change, and China has the right to take any action needed to restrain Taiwanese independence, Wang said, urging Washington to abide by its commitments regarding the Taiwan issue.
Photo copied by Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Sherman raised concerns about China’s actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, in cyberspace, in the Taiwan Strait, and in the East and South China seas, US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said on Monday.
She reiterated Washington’s concerns about China’s unwillingness to cooperate with the WHO on the investigation into COVID-19’s origins, but also affirmed the importance of cooperation in areas such as climate change, counternarcotics and nonproliferation, Price said.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the US for voicing its concerns about Taiwan.
Taiwan and the US have maintained close communications regarding Sherman’s visit to China, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday.
Beijing’s claim about Taiwan not only deviates from the facts and the understanding of the international community, but runs counter to the collective volition of Taiwanese, Ou said.
The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a democratic nation with independent sovereignty, with the sovereignty belonging to its 23.5 million people, she said.
Only Taiwanese have the right to determine Taiwan’s future, and only the elected government of Taiwan can represent Taiwanese on the international stage, she added.
No matter how the Chinese government distorts its claims about Taiwan, it cannot change history and established facts, while Taiwanese would only be firmer in defending their sovereignty and democracy, Ou said.
Taiwan would continue to work with like-minded partners to maintain and advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, she said.
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