MOFA response to false claims regarding Taiwan in PRC’s joint statements with Vietnam and Fiji

August 21, 2024

Following a meeting on August 19, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam issued a joint statement on further strengthening the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future. Chinese leader Xi issued another joint statement with Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka after a meeting on August 20. Both statements falsely claimed that Taiwan was an inseparable part of Chinese territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly refutes such claims.

MOFA solemnly reaffirms that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a free and democratic country and that neither democratic Taiwan nor totalitarian China is subordinate to the other. These are long-standing, objective, and internationally recognized facts, as well as the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has never been governed by the PRC, nor has it ever been part of the PRC. Only the democratically elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent the Taiwanese people in the United Nations system and the international arena. China and countries deferring to it have no say in the matter. MOFA strongly condemns and protests the Chinese government's repeated use of meetings with leaders of other countries to make false claims aimed at undermining Taiwan's sovereignty and misleading the international community.

MOFA again urges countries deferring to China to not ignore history and to recognize that China is a totalitarian and autocratic regime. MOFA calls on them to refrain from blindly abetting China's deceitful narratives, which only distort the truth, maliciously undermine Taiwan's sovereignty, attempt to rationalize China's expansionist ambitions, and increase international instability.

Taiwan will continue to steadfastly safeguard the values of freedom and democracy and bolster cooperation with democratic partners to jointly deter authoritarian expansionism; staunchly ensure cross-strait peace and security; and preserve a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.