China’s Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong has requested solemn representations with the ambassador of South Korea after the country’s president made “erroneous” remarks about Taiwan, stated the Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday.
While speaking exclusively with Reuters, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that there has been an increase in tensions around Taiwan after forced attempts were made to change the status quo. The president added that he opposes such a change.
“The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue,” said Yoon.
Sun called the remarks made by Yoon as “totally unacceptable”, as per the statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.
“The South Korean leader made no mention of the One China principle, but equated the Taiwan issue with the Korean Peninsula issue,” said Sun.
“Both North and South Korea are sovereign states that have joined the United Nations. It is a well-known fact that the Korean Peninsula issue and the Taiwan issue are completely different in nature and in latitude and longitude, and are not comparable at all,” the Chinese vice foreign minister.
China claims Taiwan, which is democratically ruled, as belonging to its own territory. The claims made by China are strongly rejected by Taipei.
The Chinese government demands that the nation, with which it shares ties, must recognise Taiwan as Chinese territory.
The complaint was made by Sun after last week the Chinese foreign ministry stated that all the issues related to Taiwan must be handled “prudently” by South Korea.
Retorting to the statement, South Korea summoned China’s ambassador to protest against the remarks made by Beijing.
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Recently, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang claimed that two sides of the Taiwan Strait were part of China’s territory and it was right for the Chinese government to uphold its sovereignty.
“Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China’s territory since ancient times. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. This is the history of Taiwan and the current situation of Taiwan,” the minister said.
“Recently there has been absurd rhetoric, accusing China of challenging the rules-based international order, and that it’s trying to unilaterally upend the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force or coercion… The logic is absurd and the consequences are dangerous. Those who play with fire on the Taiwan issue will eventually get themselves burned,” Qin added.
China had also held military exercises around Taiwan after its president Tsai Ing-wen held talks with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
(With inputs from agencies)
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