China’s foreign ministry blasts Taiwan inauguration, Philippines standoff in South China Sea
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, asserted China's sovereignty over Taiwan and the South China Sea following Taiwan's presidential inauguration. (Credit: Associated Press)
China’s Foreign Ministry warned that Taiwan independence was a "dead-end" on the day of the presidential inauguration of the self-ruled island on Monday.
"No matter under what name or excuse, pushing for Taiwan independence is doomed to fail," the ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated at a daily news briefing when asked about the inaugural speech by President Lai Ching-te.
In his speech earlier in the day, Lai said China and Taiwan "are not subordinate to each other" and urged Beijing to stop its military threats and intimidation.
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Lai vowed to continue his predecessor’s push to maintain stability with China while beefing up Taiwan’s security through imports of military equipment from close partner the U.S.
Wang also criticized the U.S. for what he called its "distortion" of UN General Assembly Resolution 2857 which endorses Beijing’s seat at the UN.
"This kind of retrogressive act is not only challenging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity but also international justice and conscience and the post-war international order. It is both absurd and dangerous," Wang argued.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin attends a regular press conference on May 24, 2022, in Beijing, China. On May 20, 2024, Wang said Taiwan's reunification with China "will not be stopped by anyone or any force." (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
The resolution only addressed the issue of China’s representation in the UN but did not determine Taiwan’s status or prohibit Taiwan’s participation in UN agencies, a group of U.S. senators said in their letter to WHO Director Tedros last week appealing for Taiwan’s participation in the upcoming World Health Assembly.
Portraying China’s reunification as the "trend of the times," Wang warned that "those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish."
China has stepped up its military pressure and diplomatic isolation against Taiwan in recent years, sending fighter jets and navy vessels toward the island on a near-daily basis.
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Separately, Wang urged the Philippines to "reflect on itself" after the Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen for the massive loss of giant clams and degradation of coral reefs in a disputed Island in the South China Sea.
At a press conference, the Philippine Coast Guard presented surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting large numbers of giant clams for several years in a lagoon at the Scarborough Shoal.
Maritime disputes have been rising between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea as the Philippines has accused the Chinese Coast Guard of using water cannons against its ships on a supply mission around a contested shoal.