BEIJING: China condemned a report approved by the European Parliament that calls for elevating the European Union’s political relations with Taiwan, urging the parliament to stop seeking provocation and confrontation.
Despite repeated objections from China, the European Parliament voted to back the nonbinding “EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation” report, the first of its kind, on Thursday. The report calls on the EU to deepen relations with Taiwan, work on an investment deal with the island and rename the bloc’s trade office in Taipei.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the report, which violates basic norms governing international relations and the one-China principle, goes against the commitment made by the EU on the Taiwan question.
It is vile in nature and has an egregious impact, he said at a daily news conference.
Noting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, Wang said that the one-China principle is a universally recognized principle as well as the political foundation of China-EU ties.
The European Parliament must immediately stop its rhetoric and behavior, which undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.
Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the European Parliament’s move sent a wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” forces, and urged the Parliament to prudently deal with the Taiwan question.
The Democratic Progressive Party authority has colluded with some lawmakers in foreign countries to create various Taiwan-related bills in an attempt to seek foreign support in promoting separatist activities, which is doomed to fail, Ma said.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, Beijing has always opposed any form of official exchanges between Taiwan and any countries that have diplomatic relations with China.
The adoption of the report is a dangerous move that will harm political trust between China and the EU as well as the foundation of bilateral exchanges, the statement said.
The Taiwan question concerns China’s core interests and is purely China’s internal affair, which brooks no external interference, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee said in a statement.
No one should underestimate the determination, will and capability of Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said, urging the relevant institution to refrain from “playing with fire”.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Mission to the EU said that it has lodged stern representations with the EU side and urged the bloc to correct its mistakes, remove disturbances and create conditions for the sound and steady development of China-EU relations.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
