Taipei, March 9 – Taipei rejected Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent remarks about Taiwan on Monday, calling Beijing a "troublemaker" in the international community and a "saboteur of cross-strait peace", according to local media.
Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lung, stated that Taiwan has always been an independent sovereign nation and "neither the ROC [Republic of China] nor the PRC [People's Republic of China] are subordinate to each other," the leading Taiwanese daily, Taipei Times, reported on Monday.
"Whether based on historical facts, objective reality, or international law, Taiwan's sovereignty has never belonged to the PRC," he said, adding that only the people of Taiwan have the right to decide about the future of the country.
Lin Chia-lung also stated that the 1951 'Treaty of San Francisco', an agreement signed between Japan and the Allied Powers after World War II, has replaced wartime declarations.
He said that Taiwan's liberalization and democratization, which began in the 1980s and the nation's first presidential election held in 1996, has made the ROC the only legal government representing the people of Taiwan, adding that these events have consolidated the "status quo" of cross-strait relations.
Lin said that Chinese military exercises in the Taiwan Strait in recent years have severely impacted regional peace and stability, according to the Taipei Times.
Calling China a "troublemaker" in the international community and a "saboteur of cross-strait peace," he urged Beijing to respect Taiwan's existence as an independent nation and to work collaboratively to ensure peace and stability in the region. He urged the international community to condemn China's unilateral attempts to change the "status quo" through coercion, military threats, and arbitrary intimidation of other nations.
Lin Chia-lung's remarks came after Wang Yi reportedly said that Taiwan has always been a part of China and that it would be impossible for it to become a nation.
Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People's Congress, Wang Yi said that the "return" of Taiwan to China was the outcome of the resistance of the Chinese people against Japan in the second world war, and that any pursuit of independence was "doomed to fail," stressing that the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Declaration, Japanese Instrument of Surrender, and UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 determined Taiwan's status.
Wang said, "The Taiwan issue is a part of China's internal affairs and at the very core of its interests. This red line must not be trampled on." He further mentioned that other nations recognize Taiwan as part of China and are against "Taiwan's independence," claiming that "unification aligns with international expectations" and that "it is a process that is inevitable."
China considers Taiwan a breakaway region that needs to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Despite China's efforts, Taiwan, backed by strong public support, continues to assert its sovereignty and responds to China's incursions.