Taiwan Condemns China-Laos Joint Statement as Threat to Sovereignty and Regional Peace

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong condemnation of a recent joint statement between China and Laos, which reaffirmed the "one China" principle and supported China's efforts toward "national unification." The ministry described the statement as a "fallacy that demeans Taiwan's sovereignty," asserting it is a severe departure from facts and fuels China's military aggression, thereby endangering regional peace and stability.

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This is a fallacy that demeans Taiwan's sovereignty, not only seriously departs from the facts but also fuels China's military aggression against Taiwan and endangers regional peace and stability.

This is not the first time China has leveraged interactions with allied nations to reiterate its "one China" stance. The latest joint declaration between China and Laos specifically mentioned support for "all efforts made by China to achieve national reunification." In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that such assertions not only distort reality but also embolden China's aggressive posture towards Taiwan and undermine the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

The ministry further criticized Laos for disregarding Taiwan's repeated refutations and appeals, instead choosing to align with China's pressure tactics. Taiwan warned the Laotian government that appeasing authoritarian expansionism would trap its people in a cycle of political and economic coercion by China. Taiwan firmly reiterated that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country, distinct from the People's Republic of China, a fact it deems an undeniable objective reality and the current status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

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Appeasing authoritarian expansionism will trap its people in a vicious cycle of Chinese political and economic coercion.

Taiwan urged the international community to seriously consider China's intentions to legitimize its authoritarian expansion and its consistent actions that infringe upon the sovereignty of other nations. The nation expressed its willingness to collaborate with all countries that support freedom, democracy, and human rights to jointly curb the expansion of authoritarianism, steadfastly safeguard peace and security in the Taiwan Strait, and maintain freedom and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

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The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country, and the two sides across the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other. This is an undeniable objective fact and the current status quo.