July 4, 2024
Chinese leader Xi Jinping held separate talks with the presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the Kazakh capital of Astana on July 3, on the eve of the 24th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Following the meetings, China issued joint statements respectively with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, both falsely claiming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) strongly condemns and protests the Chinese government for once again using meetings with leaders of other nations to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty.
MOFA solemnly reaffirms the unchanging fact that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other. The PRC has never governed Taiwan and no country has the right or capacity to distort Taiwan’s sovereignty or deny the objective reality of Taiwan’s existence through joint statements. MOFA urges all countries not to ignore history by blindly following China’s arguments aimed at misleading the international community, expanding authoritarianism, and rationalizing its aggressive ambitions.
The sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan) belongs exclusively to the Taiwanese people. Taiwan’s staunch conviction in democracy will never be swayed by China’s political coercion and diplomatic suppression. MOFA urges China to be pragmatic, act in good faith, choose dialogue and exchange over confrontation and containment, and, under the principles of parity and dignity, engage in cooperation with the legitimate and democratically elected government of Taiwan, in the interests of the peoples of both sides. Taiwan will continue to safeguard the values of freedom and democracy and enhance cooperation with all democratic partners in jointly deterring authoritarian expansion, preserving peace and security across the Taiwan Strait, and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.