TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday denounced a joint statement issued by China and Vietnam that referred to Taiwan as part of China. 

During a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) on Tuesday, Vietnam affirmed Beijing's claim that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory" and opposed “any separatist activity seeking ‘Taiwan independence,’” per Viet Nam News. In response, MOFA said these statements are “a serious distortion of the facts.”

The ministry said it “strongly condemns and firmly refutes the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian regime for continuing to spread rhetoric that internationally undermines Taiwan's sovereignty.” It reiterated that Taiwan's position on defending national sovereignty remains firm and unchanged. 

MOFA stressed that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and is not subordinate to China. The ministry pointed out that the CCP has never ruled Taiwan. 

The ministry said that any claim that “distorts Taiwan's sovereignty cannot change the internationally recognized cross-strait status quo.” MOFA called on the international community to “jointly counter China's false claims and not condone China's malicious attempts to mislead global public opinion and undermine Taiwan's national sovereignty.”