Team Blitz India
TAIWANESE Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on March 2 said that neither India nor Taiwan are China’s “puppets” after the Chinese Embassy in India objected to Wu’s interview on Indian television.
In an interview with an Indian English language news channel on February 29, Wu had called on democracies to work together in the face of authoritarian regimes.
Adding that he looked forward to greater cooperation with India, Wu said that the international community was becoming increasingly aware of the impact of a possible war in the Taiwan Strait, and added that support for cross-strait peace expressed by the G7, EU, and India is greatly appreciated by Taiwan.
On March 2, Wang Xiaojian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, issued a statement claiming that Wu had advocated Taiwan’s independence and disseminated “false information.” Wang alleged that Wu had “violated the ‘one-China’ principle” and said that Taiwan is a “province of China.” Wang also demanded India honor its commitments to the “one-China” principle and said that India was the first country to recognise “one China.”
The statement urged news channel to “take a correct stance on issues of core interests concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adhere to the ‘one-China principle,’ not to provide a platform for ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, and avoid sending wrong messages that are totally against basic common sense to mislead the public.”
Wu responded to the embassy’s statement by writing on X on March 2 that neither India nor Taiwan are part of China, and “we’re not its puppets.”
Wu said that India and Taiwan are both democracies with “free and vibrant presses that can’t be dedicated to.” He told China to stop interfering in its neighbours’ affairs, instead focus on its own problems like the ongoing economic slowdown. “#Beijing should worry about its own econ slump, not bullying its neighbors” Wu wrote.
