September 25, 2023
During a visit to China from September 21 to 25, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Xanana Gusmão met with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping on September 23. The two sides issued a joint statement on establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership which falsely claimed that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory” and noted that Timor-Leste “is opposed to any form of ‘Taiwan independence’” and that it “supports the efforts of the Chinese government to realize national unification.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) strongly protests and condemns the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime for continuing to make false statements in the international arena that 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. Only the government democratically elected by the Taiwanese people can represent Taiwan. The authoritarian CCP government must recognize the status quo and facts and stop coercing other countries into accepting its fabricated “one China principle.”
Timor-Leste is Asia’s youngest democracy with great potential for development. MOFA calls on the government of Timor-Leste to see through totalitarian China’s ambitions, avoid becoming complicit in China’s expansionist agenda, and adopt a pragmatic and open stance in cooperating with Taiwan and other countries who share the same values and ideals so as to contribute to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.