Wang condemns ‘double standards’ over sovereignty
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and not comparable to Ukraine, foreign minister says
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday the situations of Taiwan and Ukraine were not comparable, and that there were “blatant double standards” at play over sovereignty.
It is the first time a senior mainland official has addressed the parallels that have been drawn between Taiwan and Ukraine, with some suggesting that Russia’s invasion could embolden Beijing to attack Taiwan.
Speaking at his annual news briefing on China’s foreign policy in Beijing, Wang said the Taiwan and Ukraine situations were “fundamentally different and cannot be compared in any way”.
He said that since Taiwan was an inalienable part of China’s territory, the Taiwan question was entirely an internal matter, while Ukraine was a conflict between two countries. Beijing claims self-governed Taiwan as its own, and has never ruled out the use of force to take control of the island.
Taiwan is recognised by 13 of the 193 United Nations member states. All the others, including the United States, acknowledge China’s sovereignty over the island, or the so-called one-China principle. Washington, however, opposes any attempt to change the status quo by force.
Wang called it “blatant double standards” that “some people” were speaking out on the principle of sovereignty when it came to Ukraine, yet undermined China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity over Taiwan.
He also pointed the finger at the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, saying it had caused tensions across the Taiwan Strait by failing to recognise the one-China principle and attempting to change the status quo. He said any such moves would ultimately ruin Taiwan’s future.
Wang said that some in the US were trying to challenge that principle and encourage “Taiwan independence” to contain China’s rise. “This will not only push Taiwan into a dangerous situation but it will also bring unbearable consequences for the US side.”
In Taipei, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, meanwhile said the island was closely watching events in Ukraine.
Comparing the situation with that in Taiwan, he said Russia was seeking to expand its authoritarianism in Europe, while President Xi Jinping’s ambition was to rejuvenate the nation and build up its military. “That is a situation we need to watch carefully,” Wu said.
He added that he was concerned about Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin forming a “no limits” strategic partnership in February. “So as we watch what is happening in Ukraine, we care and we want to help,” Wu said. “But at the same time we are watching carefully to see what China may do to Taiwan.”
He said there was a danger that Beijing could see the Western response to Russia’s military aggression as “weak and not coherent and that it is not having any impact”.
“The Chinese might take that as a cue for possible action from them [on Taiwan]. But so far we see the Western countries, likeminded countries, are working together in unison. And we are seeing democracies around the world stepping up their support for Taiwan – and that is something we take comfort from,” he said.
Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan in recent years, seeking to isolate the island diplomatically and sending a record number of warplanes into its air defence identification zone last year – something it does on an almost daily basis.
There is still this strategic game to play with the United States to handle the Taiwan issue more wisely
WANG JIANMIN, TAIWAN AFFAIRS EXPERT
Washington does not have formal relations with Taipei but remains its most important ally and has stepped up support for the island, angering Beijing.
Russia’s invasion has prompted questions over whether the US would help to protect Taiwan in the event of an attack by the mainland, after the US said it would not send troops to Ukraine.
However, a visit to Taiwan by former US military and national security officials last week was seen as a tacit show of support from the White House.
Wang Jianmin, a Taiwan affairs specialist at Minnan Normal University in Fujian province, said while tensions across the Taiwan Strait were high “we are not on the edge of a war”.
Russia saw Ukraine’s bid to join Nato as a security threat, but the US had not yet crossed Beijing’s “red line” on Taiwan.
“The United States still maintains a one-China policy,” he said.
“So there is still this strategic game to play with the United States to handle the Taiwan issue more wisely.”