New Delhi – Hours after the Chinese embassy in India objected to an interview of Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu which was conducted by an Indian news outlet, Taiwan came out in India's defence and slammed Beijing for dictating the manner in which its neighbours operate. On Saturday, the Chinese Embassy in India issued a statment on the interview and accused the Taiwanese diplomat of disseminating “false information”. In response to this, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statment on the matter. The Island region made it clear that neither India nor Taiwan are “Chinese puppets” and called out the economic slump that Beijing is currently grappling with. 

"On 29th February 2024, a certain Indian news outlet broadcasted an interview with the head of Taiwan’s foreign affairs office Jaushieh Joseph Wu, which provided the platform for him to advocate “Taiwan independence” and disseminate false information. It seriously violated the one-China principle, and is totally unacceptable,"  Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Wang Xiojian said in a statment. The Chinese official reiterated the “One China Policy” and urged all countries with diplomatic ties with China to “honour” the so-called policy.  "All countries that have diplomatic relations with China should firmly honour their commitments to the one-China principle, which is also the Indian government’s official standing. What’s more, India was among the first countries to recognize that there is one China. We urge the relevant Indian media to take a correct stance on issues of core interests concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, adhere to the one-China principle, not to provide a platform for "Taiwan independence" forces, and avoid sending wrong messages that are totally against basic common sense to mislead the public," the statment further reads. 

Taiwan hits back at China, lauds Indian press 

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of External Affairs responded to the scathing attack by China and came to India's defence. Not only this, the ministry went on to laud the “free and vibrant” media that operated in India. “Neither #India nor #Taiwan is part of the #PRC & we’re not its puppets. We’re both democracies with free & vibrant presses that can’t be dictated to,” the ministry wrote in a statement on X, formally known as Twitter. In her remarks against China, Taipei also asked Beijing to “worry about its own economic slump” rather than putting its attention towards interfering in neighbours' internal matters. “#Beijing should worry about its own econ slump, not bullying its neighbours,” the ministry furthered. 

Tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated to a great extent in recent years. At the heart of the issue is China's claim over self-governed Taiwan. Beijing sees the island region as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country. However, many in Taiwan consider themselves to be part of a separate nation. The relations between the two parties nose-dived into an abyss after the Tsai Ing-Wen administration started building ties with countries around the world, especially the United States of America. In recent years, Taiwan has accused China of attempting to infiltrate its airspace and conducting provocative actions in the Taiwan Strait. 

It is also important to note that India follows the ‘One China policy’ and hence does not have diplomatic ties with Taipei.