February 17, 2024
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with People’s Republic of China (PRC) Director of the Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 16. After the meeting, the US Department of State issued a press release stating that Secretary Blinken had once again emphasized to Minister Wang the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The meeting follows a previous one between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Minister Wang in Bangkok at the end of last month, during which the US government also reiterated its staunch stance in support of cross-strait peace and stability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) affirms and welcomes these statements of support.
However, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC regarding the meeting between Minister Wang and Secretary Blinken falsely alleged that Taiwan was part of China and erroneously claimed that this was the true status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
MOFA reaffirms that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent nation and that neither the R.O.C. (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other. These are undeniable facts and the internationally recognized status quo.
The Taiwan government continues to employ a steady and pragmatic approach, promoting policies that maintain the cross-strait status quo to safeguard regional peace and stability. Yet, in recent years, China has ramped up provocative actions against neighboring countries. It has used pretexts to raise regional tensions, attempting to change the status quo and undermine the rules-based international order. This underscores the fact that it is China that threatens peace and stability in the region and across the Taiwan Strait. MOFA sternly refutes China’s malicious claims that attempt to distort Taiwan’s sovereign status and calls on the international community to share Taiwan’s concerns and condemnation.
MOFA welcomes the international community’s continued attention to cross-strait security. Taiwan remains committed to working closely with the United States and other like-minded countries to jointly safeguard the shared values of democracy and freedom, as well as peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and the region.