Taiwan Upset as China-Saudi Arabia Issue 'One China' Joint Statement

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced the joint statement issued by China and Saudi Arabia supporting “One China” policy.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia from Dec. 7-9 to bolster the Chinese-Saudi partnership. About $50 billion of investment agreements were reportedly signed during the summit.

The two countries pledged to continue supporting each other's core interests and maintaining their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Saudi Arabia “reaffirmed” that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory” and opposed Taiwan independence.

Taipei accused Beijing of spreading false statements globally and reiterated that Taiwan can only be represented by an elected government chosen by the Taiwanese under a free and democratic system. “The authoritarian government led by the Communist Party of China must recognize and respect this unchangeable fact,” MOFA said in a statement.

The foreign ministry said Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. “Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other, which has long been recognized by the international community as the status quo and accepted as such.”