March 1, 2024
The leader of the authoritarian government of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Xi Jinping, and President Julius Maada Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone issued a joint statement on deepening comprehensive strategic partnership cooperation on February 28. The joint statement falsely claimed that Taiwan was an inalienable part of China and firmly opposed any form of Taiwan independence or external interference in China’s so-called internal affairs. The statement also reiterated that Sierra Leone would not engage in any form of official exchanges with Taiwan and that it staunchly supported all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve “national reunification.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) sternly condemns the CCP’s authoritarian government, which continues to use enticement and coercion to propagate fallacious narratives in the international community that seek to diminish Taiwan’s sovereignty.
MOFA reaffirms that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to the other and that the CCP regime has never governed Taiwan for even a single day. The R.O.C. (Taiwan) is a country that protects its democratic system, respecting human rights and the rule of law. In contrast, China, under the authoritarian rule of the CCP, continues to violate human rights, bully neighboring countries, and threaten regional peace and stability. No attempts by the CCP regime to distort Taiwan’s sovereign status can change the internationally recognized cross-strait status quo.
Taiwan stands on the front line, safeguarding democracy. The people and government of Taiwan will continue to unite against Communist China’s rhetorical attacks and military intimidation and will work to strengthen cooperation with democratic countries, curb authoritarian expansionism, preserve peace and security across the Taiwan Strait, safeguard the free and open Indo-Pacific region, and maintain global stability and prosperity.