Taiwan on Friday dismissed China’s protest over an exchange of messages between Taiwanese and Indian leaders, saying Beijing is using “political coercion and spreading fallacies” to confuse the world community.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te was among world leaders who greeted PM Modi on securing a third term.
The foreign ministry reiterated Taiwan is a “sovereign and independent country and is not affiliated with the People’s Republic of China”.
“On the other hand, China’s unreasonable and arbitrary pressure and intimidation of Taiwan’s international friends will only increase negative effects,” the statement said.
India and Taiwan don’t have formal diplomatic relations, though both sides established representative offices in each other’s capitals in 1995.
Taiwan on Friday dismissed China’s protest over an exchange of messages between Taiwanese and Indian leaders, saying Beijing is using “political coercion and spreading fallacies” to confuse the world community. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te was among world leaders who greeted PM Modi on securing a third term. (Reuters file photo)
China protested to India on Thursday over the exchange of messages between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on the ground that it opposes all interactions between Taiwanese authorities and countries that have diplomatic ties with Beijing.
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Lai was among world leaders who greeted Modi on securing a third term and said in a post on X that he looked forward to boosting the Taiwan-India partnership and expanding collaboration in sectors that contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Modi responded on X by saying he looked forward to closer ties between India and Taiwan.
Also Read: Exchange of messages on X between PM Modi and Taiwan President angers China
China has traditionally bristled at contacts between Taiwan and any country and insisted on nations hewing to the “one-China” policy. However, India stopped referring to the “one-China” policy in official documents and pronouncements more than a decade ago.
A statement from Taiwan’s foreign ministry said China, in its protest over the exchange of messages between Modi and Lai, had falsely claimed that “India has a political commitment to the ‘one-China principle’ and should resist Taiwan’s ‘political plots’.
“While countries around the world are congratulating India on its successful completion of parliamentary elections and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election, China is using political coercion and spreading fallacies in an attempt to confuse the international community, which in turn highlights the nature of its authoritarian system,” the statement said.
There has been no reaction so far from the Indian side to the protest lodged by China.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it is “not only an international practice for Taiwan and India to pay tribute to each other on the results of democratic elections, it also fully demonstrates the friendship between the two sides and their firm belief in the universal value of democracy”. It added, “Other countries have no right to comment.”
The Taiwan government is willing to deepen cooperation with the Indian government in economy, science and technology and continue to establish closer friendly relations, the foreign ministry said.
The Taiwan government will also adhere to democracy and actively work with countries with similar ideals to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
The foreign ministry reiterated Taiwan is a “sovereign and independent country and is not affiliated with the People’s Republic of China”. This, it said, is a status quo generally recognised by the international community.
“Taiwan upholds and defends its democratic system and respects human rights and the rule of law. It will not give in because of China’s intimidation and coercion, nor will it change its sovereign status just because China falsely claims that Taiwan is part of it,” it added.
Taiwan interacts with the world community based on the shared values of freedom, democracy and human rights. “On the other hand, China’s unreasonable and arbitrary pressure and intimidation of Taiwan’s international friends will only increase negative effects,” the statement said.
India and Taiwan don’t have formal diplomatic relations, though both sides established representative offices in each other’s capitals in 1995. Taiwanese firms have emerged as key players in India’s efforts to attract technology and know-how from abroad to become a manufacturer of semiconductors.
