Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Remarks on Certain Countries' Congratulatory Messages on the Election in the Taiwan Region

2020-01-12 17:00

Q: After Taiwan’s election result came out, among those who congratulated Tsai Ing-wen were some senior officials from countries that have diplomatic ties with China, including the US, the UK and Japan. I wonder how you see that?

A: The election in the Taiwan region is a sub-national affair in China. We deplore and firmly oppose those countries’ violation of the one-China principle by taking such a move, and we have lodged solemn representations.

The Taiwan question concerns China’s core interests. We oppose any forms of official ties between the Taiwan region and countries that have diplomatic relations with China. The one-China principle is a basic norm governing international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. We hope those countries will earnestly abide by the one-China principle, refrain from having any official ties or exchanges with the Taiwan region, deal with Taiwan-related issues properly and with caution, avoid sending any wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” forces, take concrete actions for the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and uphold the larger picture of their own bilateral relations with China.