TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the country is not subordinate to China in response to Xi Jinping's (習近平) claims that Taiwan is part of China.

At a state banquet on Monday (Sept. 30) on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) anniversary, Xi claimed Taiwan is “China's sacred territory, and the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, and blood is thicker than water." At a press conference on Tuesday, MOFA Spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) responded by emphasizing that Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC.

During his speech, Xi insisted on adherence to Beijing's "one-China principle" and the "1992 Consensus" and opposed Taiwan independence, while also saying Beijing would achieve “reunification” with Taipei.  

Liu said Taiwan's 23 million citizens uphold a free and democratic constitutional system. He added Taiwan's sovereignty must not be infringed upon and that it is opposed to annexation, while the country's future must be determined by the Taiwanese. 

Liu highlighted Taipei's calls for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the right to its own space in the global arena, and participation in international organizations. He also hoped Taiwanese would no longer face interference when cheering for Taiwan's athletes at the Olympics.

On Monday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called on China to “face up to the reality that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other, rationally face the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, and engage in pragmatic dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected government." It called on Beijing to build goodwill to foster favorable conditions for the development of cross-strait relations.