December 14, 2023
Chinese leader and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Xi Jinping made a visit to Vietnam on December 12. Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong issued a joint statement falsely claiming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The joint statement seriously deviates from the facts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) strongly protests and condemns the authoritarian CCP government for continuing to spread misleading narratives in the international community that seek to downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty.
MOFA reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent, sovereign nation and that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other. These are internationally recognized facts and the status quo. Distorted narratives regarding Taiwan’s sovereign status cannot change these facts or alter the status quo.
Vietnam is an important cooperative partner under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy, and the peoples of the two countries interact closely. The largest numbers of new residents and foreign students in Taiwan come from Vietnam. And Taiwan is not only Vietnam’s fourth-largest foreign investor, it is also one of the top destinations for Vietnamese migrant workers. MOFA urges the Vietnamese government not to defer to China’s malicious narratives that attempt to diminish Taiwan’s sovereignty and hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people. MOFA calls on Vietnam to adopt a pragmatic and open attitude, building on the existing solid foundation of cooperation between Taiwan and Vietnam to continue to broaden and deepen long-term, mutually beneficial economic and trade exchanges so as to contribute to regional peace, stability, and economic prosperity.