Taiwan slams China 'intervention' after Pacific bloc alters statement
The Hindu
Taiwan condemns China's interference in Pacific leaders' declaration, calls for monitoring of China's actions in the region.
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry on Saturday (August 31, 2024) accused China of an "arbitrary intervention" after a joint declaration by Pacific leaders was altered to remove mentions of Taiwan.
"Taiwan issued the strongest condemnation on China's arbitrary intervention and unreasonable actions that undermine regional peace and stability," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Self-ruled Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own territory — also called on "all like-minded countries to closely monitor China's actions" to safeguard "the harmony and stable development of Pacific island countries".
The rebuff came after a statement by Pacific leaders was reissued with mentions of Taiwan removed after China had slammed an earlier version as a "mistake" that "must be corrected".
After five days of talks in Tonga, a "cleared" communique was released on Friday that reaffirmed a 30-year-old agreement allowing Taiwan to take part in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
But the wording immediately raised the ire of Chinese diplomats, who piled pressure on Pacific leaders to amend the document.
The forum reissued the communique without explanation on Saturday morning, conspicuously deleting the paragraph concerning the regional bloc's "relations with Taiwan".
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