Taiwan urged not to exploit Ukraine crisis

Foreign ministry says comparisons by DPP authorities lack understanding

Both the Foreign Ministry and the Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs authorities sternly warned Taiwan politicians on Wednesday not to use the Ukraine crisis to hype up the Taiwan question and make provocations for "independence".

"I think it's unwise for some people with the Taiwan administration to take advantage of the Ukraine situation," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "Indeed, Taiwan is not Ukraine. It has always been an inalienable part of Chinese territory, which is an irrefutable historical and legal fact."

Hua's comments came after Taiwan authorities compared the situation in Ukraine to the Taiwan question, hoping that the international community will continue to supply the island with weapons to force the Chinese mainland not to "invade" it.

"I've noticed that since the Ukraine crisis broke, some people always tend to link it with Taiwan," Hua said at a regular daily briefing. "What they've said shows they lack very basic understanding of the history of the Taiwan question."

She said the Taiwan question was one left over from the Chinese civil war, but China's sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been, and will never be, divided. "This is the status quo of the Taiwan question," she said.

Hua said peace in Taiwan depends on the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, not begging for arms sales or military support from outside forces.

"Taiwan independence" can only lead to a dead end, of which no one should have any misunderstanding or misjudgment, she added.

As tensions between Russia and Ukraine mount, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen has expressed "empathy" for Ukraine's situation and ordered the island's armed forces to stay alert for military activity in the region and strengthen combat readiness.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday that the "empathy" is pure pretense and the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Ma said Taiwan was using the Ukraine situation to hype up "threats" from the mainland and whipping up "anti-China sentiment" on the island, which was purely political manipulation for the selfish interests of one party.

Ma pointed out that the root cause of the current tension across the Taiwan Straits is that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities on the island and "Taiwan independence" forces, in collusion with foreign forces, are constantly making provocations for "independence".

"All necessary actions we have taken to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity target separatist activities and foreign interference," he said.

The actions are aimed at fundamentally safeguarding the vital interests of compatriots on both sides of the Straits and the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, he added.

Ma also denounced the DPP for using foreign forces to campaign for "independence" after the island authorities announced on Monday that former United States secretary of state Mike Pompeo will visit Taiwan next week to meet with Tsai.

"It is nothing but a farce for the DPP to collude with anti-China politicians," he said, adding that some US politicians have been taking wrong actions on the Taiwan question and they are trying to use Taiwan as a pawn to block China's reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.