Beijing: ChinaThursday expressed surprise over clarification by India over External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s reported comments related to the One-China policy during his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week.
India Tuesday said there is no change in its position on Taiwan, and New Delhi’s relationship with it focuses on economic, technology and cultural ties.
We are surprised at India’s clarification, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a media briefing. She was replying to a question from China’s official media on reports of India’s clarification over Jaishankar’s remarks.
The clarification came after the Chinese foreign ministry reportedly misquoted Jaishankar as saying during his talks with Wang that Taiwan is part of China.
The Chinese spokesperson Thursday claimed that Beijing finds it inconsistent with the facts.
It would seem that some people in India have tried to undermine China’s sovereignty on the Taiwan question and impede the improvement of China-India relations. China expresses serious concern and firmly opposes that, Mao said.
Let me stress that there is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is a prevailing consensus among the international community, including India, she claimed.
China hopes India will earnestly abide by the one-China principle, properly handle sensitive issues and promote the steady development of bilateral relations, she said.
Wang, who arrived in New Delhi Monday on a two-day visit, held talks with Jaishankar August 18.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan. The Indian side underlined that there was no change in its position on this issue, it said.
It pointed out that, like the rest of the world, India had a relationship with Taiwan that focuses on economic, technological and cultural ties and that this would continue. The Indian side noted that China also cooperates with Taiwan in these very domains, it said.
In the past, India had endorsed the one-China policy, but the formulation has not featured in any bilateral document since 2011.
China has often urged India to adhere to the ‘One-China’ policy.
Though India and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties, their bilateral trade relations have been on an upswing.
Taiwan, a self-ruled island of more than 23 million people, produces nearly 70 per cent of the world’s semiconductors, which include the most advanced chips that are required for almost all electronic equipment such as smartphones, car components, data centres, fighter jets and AI technologies.
PTI