TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) criticized China on Thursday for attempting to undermine Taiwan-Japan relations.

China Central Television recently posted a video on Weibo accusing Japan of spending 13.1 billion yen on “pro-Japan propaganda” in Taiwan, per CNA. The TV station named the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association, which represents Japan’s interests in Taiwan, as implicit in spreading the alleged propaganda.

Hsiao said Taiwan and Japan are like-minded partners that share universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The two countries maintain close ties in government and civil society and enjoy deep people-to-people exchanges, he said, adding that bilateral cooperation will continue.

The spokesperson stressed that China has no authority to comment on or interfere with normal, healthy exchanges between democratic nations. Beijing’s threatening rhetoric toward Taiwan only highlights its hegemonic mindset and reveals its role as a disruptor of regional peace, Hsiao said. This reinforces the fact that China is the true troublemaker seeking to alter the international order unilaterally, he said.

Hsiao reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. He emphasized that China has never governed Taiwan, and the fact that the two sides are not subordinate to each other is both an internationally recognized reality and a consensus in Taiwan.

Taiwan will continue monitoring China’s coercive rhetoric and destabilizing actions, and will work with allies such as the US and Japan to maintain peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, Hsiao said.