Belarus was “oblivious to the international reality” when it said in a joint statement with China that it opposed Taiwan’s participation in international organizations that require statehood, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Kao (高安) said yesterday.
The ministry “deeply regrets” that Minsk reiterated the position it had long held for the sake of “ingratiating itself with mainland China,” Kao said.
She said the statement revealed Minsk’s ignorance of the international reality and damaged Taiwan’s rights and interests.
As a sovereign nation that values freedom, the Republic of China (ROC) is entitled to apply for a seat in international organizations of concern to the rights and interests of its people, Kao said.
“The ministry will stick with this position without being disturbed by any comments made by an individual country with this regard,” she added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko signed the joint statement on Sunday, the first of Xi’s three-day visit to the nation in Eastern Europe, pledging to combine strategies of development and boost comprehensive strategic partnerships.
The ministry has confirmed media reports that Minsk, in the joint statement, restated its support for the “one China” policy, including its opposition to Taiwan’s independence and to Taiwan’s admission into any international or regional organizations where statehood is a requirement.
The statement, posted on Chinese news Web sites, says that Belarus recognizes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, and thus it would not have official contacts with Taiwan, would not sell weapons to Taiwan and would support any Chinese endeavors to realize unification.
According to the ministry, the statement was a repetition of a joint statement signed between Belarus and China in 2007 and another in 2013.
It came days after a meeting between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Xi in Beijing on Monday last week, at which Chu said that both sides of the Taiwan Strait “belong to one China” and that the so-called “1992 consensus,” a formula that centers on the “one China” principle, could be expanded to international realms.
Commenting on the latest China-Belarus joint statement, KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said it is rare for China to have its stance on Taiwan written into a diplomatic statement.
Given that Taiwan has not sought to join international organizations that require statehood for membership in recent years, it could be seen as a “warning” for Taiwan not to pursue such bids after next year’s presidential election, Chiang said.
Earlier this year, China signed joint statements with Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan during Xi’s visits to the countries, in which the countries reconfirmed their support for the “one China” principle.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from