Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on National Taiwan Day said that the nation wants to have “meaningful dialogue” with China on an equal basis. Tensions heightened between the two states after Beijing sent the Indian media diktats on how to cover Taiwan’s National Day.
The Chinese Embassy in its letter said, ‘Taiwan shall not be referred to as a country (nation) or the Republic of China.’ The letter further said, “Regarding the so-called forthcoming ‘National Day of Taiwan’, the Chinese Embassy in India would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.”
In reply to this, Taiwanese legislator Wang Ting-yu wrote on Twitter, “Make no mistake, this isn’t about Taiwan’s status in the world. It’s about China’s open assault on press freedom. When free press is in jeopardy, all other freedoms are under attack.”
Beijing has been claiming the island as sovereign Chinese territory.
China has in recent months, ramped up Air Force activity near the island, including crossing the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive midline that serves as an unofficial buffer zone. Ing-wen in her national day address said the situation at the Taiwan Strait is quite tense, especially when combined with China trying to take over the South China Sea, its border dispute with India and Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong, threatening its autonomy. Beijing said it was responding to Washington’s recent displays of support for the self-governed island, which Beijing views as being a precursor to Taiwan declaring formal independence.
