October 19, 2023
During a visit to China from October 16 to 18, Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Following their meeting, the two sides issued the Joint Statement on Deepening Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Indonesia. The statement falsely claimed that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China” and noted that Indonesia “supports the Chinese government’s efforts to achieve peaceful national reunification.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) protests and condemns in the strongest terms the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party regime for continuing to maliciously disseminate false narratives in the international arena that aim to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
MOFA solemnly reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent, sovereign nation and that neither the R.O.C. (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other. These are facts and the internationally recognized status quo.
MOFA urges the government of Indonesia to not defer to China’s malicious attempts at undermining Taiwan’s sovereign status and to recognize as quickly as possible China’s hegemonic ambitions in pushing its Belt and Road Initiative overseas, which has trapped many countries in debt crises. Taiwan and Indonesia both proactively safeguard freedom and democracy and should work together to deter authoritarian expansion and contribute to regional peace and stability.