A Taiwanese flag during a ceremony in Taipei, 2021. © Taiwan’s Presidential Office/AFP

Russia said it opposed Taiwan’s independence in any form

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it strongly condemns the false statement that undermines the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The government of the People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan, the ministry said. Only a government freely elected by the people of Taiwan can represent the people of Taiwan internationally.

The ministry added that Beijing had no right to represent Taiwan on the world stage, and should not force other countries, international organizations, and companies to make false statements on the matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday. The Kremlin released a joint statement that said that Russia affirms its adherence to the ‘One-China’ principle, affirms that Taiwan is an unalienable part of China, and opposes the independence of Taiwan in any form.

Under the so-called ‘One-China principle’ or ‘One-China policy’, the majority of countries refrain from officially recognizing Taiwan as an independent country.

The island of Taiwan has been de facto ruled by its own government since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. However, Beijing claims authority over the island and has accused ‘secessionists’ in Taipei of stirring up tensions in the region by accepting military aid from abroad, including the US.

Taiwanese officials, meanwhile, accuse Beijing of meddling in the island’s affairs and maintain that Taipei has never accepted the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.