TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) rejected comments made by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, which denigrated Taiwan's sovereignty.

During a press conference at China’s National People’s Congress, Wang claimed that Taiwan is not, and will never be, a country. In a press release, Minister Lin emphasized that Taiwan is already an independent nation, which the CCP has never governed. 

Responding to Wang’s assertion that the international community has reached “overwhelming consensus” on the Taiwan issue, Lin said the democratically elected government in Taiwan is the only legitimate authority with the right to govern the country. Taiwan’s 23 million people have the right to decide their country’s future without Chinese interference, per the press release.

Wang claimed that the main cause of instability in the Taiwan Strait is due to the DPP's governance of Taiwan and their promotion of independence, per LTN. Lin corrected Wang’s statement by noting that it is China, not Taiwan, which has a long history of routinely disrupting cross-strait peace through military provocations. 

The press release also noted that China frequently references UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 as a pretext to suppress Taiwan’s international participation. The ministry notes that the resolution does not determine Taiwan’s status.

Taipei called on Beijing to recognize and respect Taiwan's sovereignty and to stop trying to mislead the international community. Taipei also condemned China’s repeated attempts to upend the status quo through military action and bullying tactics. 

The ministry called for responsible and rational dialogue to safeguard regional peace and stability. Taipei also called on democratic partners to stand united in rejecting authoritarianism to ensure mutual security across the Indo-Pacific.