MOFA thanks allies for joint statement condemning Chinese threats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed its gratitude on Thursday to 12 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies for issuing a joint statement calling on the international community to urge China to immediately cease its “dangerous actions” around Taiwan and refrain from making attempts to alter the status quo.

The statement, published Tuesday on the website of the Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to the U.N., was signed by the permanent missions of Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Tuvalu, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and SVG to the U.N.

In the statement, the 12 countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability, and the rules-based international order and said that they were “gravely concerned” by China’s military exercises around Taiwan, which pose a severe threat to these values.

China’s military exercises have not only escalated tensions and undermined regional security, but also negatively affected international trade and transportation, they said.

China’s actions run counter to the U.N. Charter, which states that the purposes and the principles of the U.N. are to maintain international peace and stability and resolve disputes through peaceful means, they said.

Therefore, the U.N., as well as the international community, should collectively urge China to immediately cease its dangerous actions around Taiwan and refrain from changing the status quo, under which “neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other,” they said.

It is important that China respects the Taiwan Strait median line, which has served as a symbol for maintaining peace and avoiding conflicts between the two sides, they said.

The statement praised Taiwan for reacting calmly to China’s threats, adding that it is in everyone’s best interests to uphold the rules-based international order based on the purposes and principles of the U.N.

China has been force-feeding U.N. members its “absurd” interpretation of U.N. Resolution 2758 of 1971, which China has used as a basis for ostracizing Taiwan in the international community, MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (???) said.

MOFA calls on the international community to censure China and urge it to refrain from any irresponsible actions threatening the status quo and respect the U.N. Charter, which prohibits unilateral use of force or force not used in self-defense.

When asked to comment on why Honduras, which also has official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, did not sign the joint statement, MOFA said that it was open to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies supporting the nation in the international arena by various means.

Taiwan and Honduras have strong diplomatic ties that date back 81 years, and Honduran President Xiomara Castro’s administration not only values the friendship between the two sides but also supports Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, it said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel