These are completely different issues, according to Beijing
Taiwan is an internal Chinese affair and attempting to link it to events in Ukraine is inappropriate, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday. He also criticized US Vice President Kamala Harris for her comments about Washington’s desire to further develop ties with the island.
“Anyone who seeks to insinuate [the] the relevance of the Ukraine issue to the Taiwan issue is invariably driven by political calculations,” Wang said at a regular press briefing, after AFP asked why Beijing had not « explicitly » condemned Russia over Ukraine and whether it would encourage separatism.
“Such an insinuation would constitute a violation of the principle of respecting a country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and serious interference in China’s internal affairs. Anyone who hopes to exploit the Ukraine issue and find a pretext for ‘Taiwan independence’ will get nowhere,” he added. Wang added.
« Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and the Taiwan issue is purely China’s internal affair, » he added. he insisted. « The Taiwan issue and the Ukraine issue are different in nature and not at all comparable. »
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The AFP question came after Wang condemned remarks by US Vice President Kamala Harris, who visited Japan this week and said his government intended to « Support Taiwan Self-Defense » and “deepen our informal ties” with the island. She also accused China of seeking to undermine the rules-based international order.
The United States has already violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in early August, Wang said. Without specifically commenting on what Harris said, he noted that it called into question the United States’ commitment to the « One China » policy, repeatedly confirmed in writing in recent years.
« Speaking of rules, keeping your promise is the most basic rule » Wang told reporters. « If the United States can’t even keep its word, what position is it in to talk about rules and order? » A country like that could only become a disrupter of international rules.
Taiwan was ruled by Chinese nationalists who left the mainland in 1949, after losing the civil war against the Communists. Beijing sees it as an inalienable part of China, to be reintegrated at some point.
