 "China Taiwan Flag")
As China's pursuit for Taiwan reunification grows larger with every passing day, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the self-governed island, Tien Chung-Kwang on Monday said that Taiwan will not accept any unilateral decision set by China.
Reiterating Taiwan's sovereignty, the minister said that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are the responsibility of the two sides and it must be taken care of, at all times, according to Taiwan News.
China's ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views the self-governed island as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it, and has long vowed to "reunify" the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.
Describing the support of international organizations for Taiwan, Tien mentioned that the EU's support for Taiwan has become increasingly clear in recent years, Taiwan News reported.
Post US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China's rhetoric on the self-governing island has increased to an unprecedented level, visible by increased military exercises by China in the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently said Beijing will not renounce the use of force to reunite Taiwan, the island nation responded by saying that it will never compromise on the values of sovereignty, democracy and freedom.
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"The national security team is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to pay close attention to subsequent developments," Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Chang Tun-han was quoted as saying by CNN.
"It is the consensus of the Taiwanese public that territorial sovereignty, democracy and freedom cannot be compromised, and military confrontation must not be the option for both sides of the Taiwan Strait," the spokesperson added.
The statements of Xi Jinping came at a time when the 20th National Party Congress is taking place which will either be re-elected as general secretary of the CCP or will be newly elected as chairman of the CCP, a title that has lain dormant since 1982 and was once the highest position ever held by Mao Zedong.
The congress is taking place at one of the most perilous periods in international affairs in recent years. A war is raging in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin attempts to burnish his credentials as a great Russian leader, and China remains a staunch supporter of this would-be tsar.
At the same time, Taiwan Strait tensions are at their highest in decades, as China attempts to pummel Taipei into acquiescence.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
