TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday reaffirmed Taiwan’s sovereignty in response to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s op-ed published the day before in Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

The ministry called Xi’s article a “deliberate attempt” to deceive the global community and eradicate Taiwan’s sovereignty. Legal documents, including the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation, and Japanese Instrument of Surrender, affirm the Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. 

At that time, the People’s Republic of China did not even exist, making its claim over Taiwan “historically and legally groundless,” MOFA said.

The ministry also pointed out that UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan nor state that Taiwan is part of the PRC. It also does not grant the PRC the right to represent Taiwan or its people in the UN, MOFA added.

MOFA reiterated that only the democratically elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent the 23.5 million Taiwanese in the UN system and other international arenas.