Beijing Urges Not To Compare Ukraine, Taiwan

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2022) Comparisons between the Ukrainian and Taiwanese issues cannot be made, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday.

After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, many people began to draw parallels with Taiwan, which shows a lack of understanding of the Taiwanese issue, the spokeswoman told a briefing.

"Taiwan for sure is not Ukraine. Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China's territory. This is an indisputable historical and legal fact," Hua Chunying said.

The spokeswoman stressed that the Taiwanese issue is a result of a civil war, but China's sovereignty and territory "have never been divided and cannot be divided.

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The "one China" principle is a norm in international relations, and the peaceful development of Taiwan depends on the peaceful development of relations between Beijing and Taipei, Hua Chunying added. She urged Taiwan not "to latch on to and exploit the Ukraine issue to their benefit."

"'Taiwan independence' only leads to a dead end. No one shall have any illusion or make any miscalculation on this issue," the spokeswoman said.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous country but has stopped short of declaring independence.