February 10, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardani of Pakistan paid a state visit to China from February 4 to 8. A joint statement issued following President Zardani’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping contained false claims, among them the assertion that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly protests and gravely condemns China for using meetings with national leaders to publicly disparage Taiwan’s sovereignty, and Pakistan for blindly accepting China’s false assertions and cooperating in the release of statements that undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty.
MOFA reiterates that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other; that the Chinese Communist Party regime has never governed Taiwan; and that no country has the right nor power to deny Taiwan’s existence through any so-called joint statement.
MOFA urges the government of Pakistan to squarely face the fundamental difference between democratic Taiwan, which defends the democratic system and respects human rights and the rule of law; and authoritarian China, which engages in reckless expansion, intimidates neighboring countries, and violates human rights. Pakistan should stop submitting to Chinese statements that make false claims and express aggressive intent, and cease any inappropriate actions that undermine Taiwan’s sovereign status.
Taiwan will continue to safeguard the values of freedom and democracy and strengthen cooperation with all partners in the democratic camp so as to jointly contain authoritarian expansion, defend cross-strait peace and stability, and uphold freedom and openness throughout the Indo-Pacific.