December 11, 2022
On December 9, Xi Jinping, leader of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarian and expansionist government, attended the first Arab-China Summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh Declaration issued following the summit “[emphasizes] the firm commitment of the Arab countries to the principle of one China, their support for the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, reaffirming that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory [and] rejecting Taiwan’s ‘independence’ in all its forms.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) condemns in the strongest possible terms China’s continued efforts to globally disseminate, and force other nations to echo, such falsehoods.
MOFA reiterates that only the government of Taiwan, elected by the Taiwanese people under a free and democratic system, can represent Taiwan. The authoritarian government led by the CCP must recognize and respect this undeniable fact and not force other nations or organizations to accept the so-called “one China principle,” which is a fabrication. It has long been the status quo recognized by the international community that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent nation and that neither democratic Taiwan nor authoritarian China is subordinate to the other. Neither the government and people of Taiwan nor the international community will accept any statement that toes China’s preposterous line or belittles Taiwan’s sovereign status.
At a time when nations around the globe are actively striving to promote economic and social development and restore day-to-day life in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP stubbornly persists in reciting the fallacy that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China. Spreading erroneous disinformation throughout global society not only turns the people of Taiwan even further against the CCP’s authoritarian government but also encourages the international community to support democratic Taiwan in recognition of China’s litany of poor behavior, which encompasses bullying, disruptions to peace, and unjustifiable aggression and expansionism.