TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday (Aug. 26) lambasted China for spreading falsehoods about the joint statement by some of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
The Permanent Representatives to the U.N. of Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu on Tuesday (Aug. 23) expressed their “grave concern” over China’s ongoing military exercises around Taiwan. They stressed that any resolution to international disputes should be attained through peace and be based on the principles of the U.N. Charter.
Beijing’s U.N. mission responded by saying the document was a serious violation of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and interference in China’s internal affairs.
MOFA accused China of “turning a blind eye” to the serious concerns expressed by the international community. Its military actions have clearly violated the U.N. principle of peaceful settlement of disputes and go against the spirit of the U.N. Charter, the ministry said in a press release.
MOFA reiterated that neither Taiwan nor China are subordinate to one another, which is an “objective fact” accepted by the world.
The ministry said that China has used military intimidation against Taiwan and other countries in order to alter the status quo of the Taiwan Strait. This seriously infringes upon Taiwan’s rights under international law, and interferes with commercial activities in the busiest sea and air routes in the Indo-Pacific.
MOFA said Beijing’s “irresponsible and provocative actions” increase cross-strait tensions and undermine the rules-based international order, as well as seriously threatening the security of the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding region.
China also continues to misinterpret U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758, linking it to the so-called "one China” principle. It also has applied long-term pressure on the UN system to improperly exclude Taiwan's participation in the organization, MOFA said, adding that this is Beijing’s “legal” strategy to annex Taiwan.
MOFA said that Taiwan is a democratic country, and only the democratically-elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent the 23.5 million Taiwanese in international arenas such as the U.N.
“We will respond calmly and resolutely to safeguard our sovereignty and national security,” the ministry said. It said that Taiwan will cooperate with democratic partners to stop the expansion and aggression of authoritarianism and maintain a rules-based international order, and a free and open Indo-Pacific.