If China overreacts to a normal visit by President William Lai (賴清德) to Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific region, it would be seen as damaging regional peace and stability, and condemned by the international society, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said, in response to China’s protest toward Lai’s stopover in Hawaii.
Lai on Saturday left on a seven-day tour to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific, including the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, making stopovers in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory.
On Sunday, after Lai arrived in Hawaii, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) in a statement said that “China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region” and “firmly opposes any trip by [the] leader of the Taiwan authorities to the US in any name or under any pretext.”
Photo: AP
China also “firmly opposes any form of US connivance or support for ‘Taiwanese independence’ separatists and their separatist activities,” the statement said.
Mao said China “strongly condemns” the US for arranging Lai’s “stopover” and has lodged serious protests with it.
“China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said, hinting at countermeasures.
In response, the MOFA in a statement issued on Sunday said that “the Republic of China [ROC, Taiwan] is a sovereign country, and the ROC and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other.”
China has never ruled Taiwan for a day, the ministry said, adding that Lai’s visit to the Pacific allies to reaffirm friendships and making stopovers in the US is only exercising the legitimate rights of a sovereign country.
“The MOFA reiterates that it is a long-standing practice for the president to make stopovers during a tour, and following the precedent, the US government has upheld the principles of ‘safety, dignity, comfort and convenience’ in providing various assistance,” it said.
“The ministry thanks the US’ for extending its assistance,” the ministry said, adding that it demonstrates the close friendship between the US and Taiwan.
If China overreacts to a normal visit by Lai to Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific region, it would be seen as damaging regional peace and stability, and condemned by the international society, the ministry said.
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