January 7, 2023
MOFA response to joint China-Turkmenistan statement containing false narrative on sovereignty of the R.O.C. (Taiwan)
In a joint statement issued by the People’s Republic of China and Turkmenistan on the evening of January 6, Turkmenistan reaffirmed the PRC government as the sole legitimate government of the whole of China and Taiwan as in inalienable part of Chinese territory. It also declared its firm adherence to the “one-China principle,” staunch opposition to any form of “Taiwan independence,” and support for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and all efforts made by the Chinese government to realize national unification. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) solemnly protests these pronouncements and strongly condemns both the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime for continuing to disseminate a false narrative aimed at downgrading the national sovereignty of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) in the international community and Turkmenistan for its subservience to China.
MOFA reiterates that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other, that the PRC government has never governed Taiwan, and that Taiwan is absolutely not a part of China. The Chinese government’s use of threats or incentives to compel other countries to coordinate with its distorted claims about Taiwan’s sovereignty cannot change the objective reality of the existence of the R.O.C. (Taiwan). MOFA emphasizes that only the government that is legally and directly elected by the 23.5 million Taiwanese people has the right to represent Taiwan. China’s one-party, dictatorial, and authoritarian regime cannot represent Taiwan in the international arena, nor should it continue to impose its fabricated “one-China principle” on other countries, international organizations, multinational enterprises, and other entities by forcing them to make inaccurate claims that run contrary to reality.
Recently, the authoritarian CCP regime has sent military aircraft on repeated incursions into airspace near Taiwan, proving itself to be the true architect of disruptions to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. Such bullying has not only heightened the Taiwanese people’s aversion to the Chinese regime, but also allowed the international community to more clearly recognize that China continues to push ill-intentioned schemes to expand its influence and undermine regional peace and stability. Taiwan, an important bastion for the protection of democratic and free institutions throughout the world, is willing to establish equal partnerships with like-minded nations on the basis of reciprocal and mutually beneficial relations. It will jointly safeguard the core values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law in pursuit of a better and prosperous future for all, continuing to serve as a substantial force in the maintenance of global peace and stability.