China can't decide whether we are a country, Taiwan foreign minister says
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly reject that view, and have offered talks with China multiple times but have been rejected. China calls Lai a "separatist".
Asked by Reuters what he would say to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi should they ever meet, Lin said that given the opportunity he would definitely shake hands with him.
"What the nature is of cross-Taiwan Strait relations can be discussed, but we are all human. First, extend the hand of friendship. If he shook my hand, that would be a good start," he said at a press briefing to mark the first anniversary of Lai taking office. "If he takes his hand back, that's his problem."
Taiwan's formal name is the Republic of China, the name of the government which in 1949 fled to the island after losing a bloody civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China.
"Whether or not Taiwan is a country is not up to Wang Yi, nor the People's Republic of China, to say. The whole world sees us as a country. We choose our governments democratically. It is our business what our name is."
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The chances Lin and Wang could meet are low. Neither government recognises the other, officials do not visit each other, and Taiwan is not a member of most international bodies due to China's objections.
Lai on Tuesday reiterated an offer to talk to China, saying he sought peace but that the island must also boost its defences.
China responded by saying his comments were a "two-faced tactic" that were a "waste of effort and doomed to fail".
Taiwan's government has warned that Beijing could mark the anniversary with more military drills.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Russia sees potential for LNG exports to India
MOSCOW, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Russia sees potential to export liquefied natural gas to India, news agencies quoted First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov as saying on Wednesday. He also said, according to RIA news agency, that Russia was counting on expanding nuclear energy cooperation with India. His comments came after U.S. Donald Trump imposed extra 25% tariffs on India this month because of its purchases of Russian oil, in a move the Kremlin called illegal.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Pakistan, China and Afghanistan hold high-level meeting in Kabul to boost cooperation
Top diplomats from Pakistan, China and Afghanistan committed their countries to stronger anti-terrorism cooperation during a meeting Wednesday in Kabul aimed at boosting political and economic partnership, Pakistan's foreign ministry said. The three sides also 'reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and combating drug trafficking," according to a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. The parties also reaffirmed an earlier agreement to extend the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, the statement added. It provided no further details on the meeting among Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top Taliban officials, hosted by the Taliban government in Kabul. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor involves improving road and rail links between China's western Xinjiang region and Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. Pakistan's authorities in recent weeks have said they hope the corridor will help attract more Chinese investment to revive its ailing economy, and that they are hopeful that extending it to Afghanistan will boost trade with Central Asia. The meeting came more than a month after Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban's government in Afghanistan. While no country apart from Russian has offered formal recognition, the Taliban have engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier had said that the meeting would include 'comprehensive discussions' on a wide range of issues, including political, economic and regional cooperation. The last round of the dialogue took place in May in Beijing.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
China's Xi makes a rare visit to Tibet to mark 60 years of contested rule there
Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a rare visit to Tibet on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of the consolidation of Beijing's long-contested rule over the Himalayan territory. Xi arrived in Tibet's regional capital of Lhasa, where he 'received a warm welcome from people of various ethnic groups" who waved bouquets of flowers and danced 'to joyful rhythms,' the Xinhua News Agency said. The agency said Xi urged the building of a 'modern socialist' Tibet 'that is united, prosperous, civilized, harmonious and beautiful.' Communist forces occupied Tibet in 1951. In 1965, Mao Zedong's single-party dictatorship established the Tibet autonomous region. Decades of political repression followed, including the demolition of some Buddhist monasteries and the imprisonment of monks. Recent years have seen the large-scale migration of majority Han Chinese to the high-altitude region, the virtual closure of Tibet to journalists and foreigners, the removal of Tibetan children from their families to boarding schools where they are taught in Mandarin, and the repression of all forms of political or cultural expression outside Communist Party control. China also insists on the right to appoint a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest-ranking leader, who recently turned 90 and lives in self-imposed exile in neighboring India after fleeing Chinese rule in 1959. On Tuesday, exiled Tibetans protested in India against the Chinese foreign minister's visit there. Critics say repression in Tibet has become more systematic and wide-reaching since the crushing of anti-government protests in 2008, while China claims to have reduced poverty and built up the region's infrastructure. China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were essentially independent for most of that time under their Buddhist theocracy. China's contested border with India runs along Tibet's southern edge, where China has been building roads and other infrastructure for possible military use.
