China ‘surprised’ by India’s clarification on Taiwan

China has said it was surprised by India’s ‘clarification’ on Taiwan, calling it “inconsistent with facts”. This comes after New Delhi reiterated that there was “no change in its position” on Taiwan’s status.

The two sides issued differing narratives following a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi on August 18.

At a media briefing in Beijing on August 21, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: “The Indian side’s so-called ‘clarification’ came as a surprise. We find it inconsistent with the facts. 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.”

Reiterating Beijing’s position, Mao added: “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is a prevailing consensus among the international community, including India. We hope India will earnestly abide by the one-China principle, handle sensitive issues properly and promote the steady development of bilateral relations.”

In its August 19 statement on the Jaishankar-Wang talks, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “The Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan. The Indian side underlined that there was no change in its position on this issue.”

The MEA further noted that, like other countries, India maintains ties with Taiwan in the fields of economy, technology and culture, and that these would continue. It also pointed out that China itself cooperates with Taiwan in the same areas.

The Indian statement came after the Chinese Foreign Ministry released its version of the talks, quoting Wang Yi as saying: “Taiwan is part of China.” The state-run Global Times went further, claiming that “Jaishankar also noted that Taiwan is a part of China.”