TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday rejected a joint statement issued after Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying it endorsed Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Taiwan opposed China’s use of international meetings to undermine its international status. He also expressed regret that Thailand had adopted Beijing’s position.
Asked whether the statement could affect visa-free travel between Taiwan and Thailand, Lin said Taiwan sets visa policies based on reciprocity and equal treatment. He noted that the two countries maintain close economic ties and frequent people-to-people exchanges.
The joint statement also said Thailand supported Beijing’s “one country, two systems” policy. Taiwan’s foreign ministry rejected the wording as false and said it undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The ministry said Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. It accused Beijing of using joint statements with other countries to spread false claims and alter the cross-strait status quo.
Taiwan urged Thailand to value the two countries’ long-standing relationship and stop supporting Chinese pressure against Taiwan. The ministry warned that Beijing’s expansionist actions threatened regional peace and could eventually affect countries that accommodated its demands.
