The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it “strongly condemns the false statement that undermines the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan).”
“The government of the People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan,” the ministry said. “Only a government freely elected by the people of Taiwan can represent the people of Taiwan internationally.”
The ministry added that Beijing had “no right” to represent Taiwan on the world stage, and “should not force other countries, international organizations, and companies to make false statements” on the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday. The Kremlin released a joint statement that said that Russia “affirms its adherence to the ‘One-China’ principle, affirms that Taiwan is an unalienable part of China, [and] opposes the independence of Taiwan in any form.”