The Taiwanese foreign ministry on Saturday condemned as “false” a joint statement released by Moscow and Beijing that said the island was “an inalienable” part of one China.
“The government of the People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan,” the ministry said. “Only a government freely elected by the people of Taiwan can represent the people of Taiwan internationally.”
The ministry added that Beijing had “no right” to represent Taiwan on the world stage, and “should not force other countries, international organizations, and companies to make false statements” on the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday. The Kremlin released a joint statement that said that Russia “affirms its adherence to the ‘One-China’ principle, affirms that Taiwan is an unalienable part of China, [and] opposes the independence of Taiwan in any form.”
Under the so-called ‘One-China principle’ or ‘One-China policy’, the majority of countries refrain from officially recognizing Taiwan as an independent country.
The island of Taiwan has been de facto ruled by its own government since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. However, Beijing claims authority over the island and has accused ‘secessionists’ in Taipei of stirring up tensions in the region by accepting military aid from abroad, including the US.
Taiwanese officials, meanwhile, accuse Beijing of meddling in the island’s affairs and maintain that Taipei has never accepted the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.