New Delhi, Aug 19 (UNI) India has conveyed to China that there is no change in New Delhi’s position on Taiwan and that it will continue to maintain economic, technological and cultural ties with Taipei, sources said on Tuesday.
The clarification came after Beijing claimed that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had reaffirmed India’s support for the “One-China” principle during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Government sources clarified that India’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged.
“There is no change in India’s position on Taiwan. India stressed that like the rest of the world, India has a relationship with Taiwan that focuses on economic, technology and cultural ties. India intend to continue it,” as per sources.
The development happened as Wang met with Jaishankar yesterday in New Delhi.
The Chinese readout of the talks stated that Jaishankar had conveyed that “Taiwan is a part of China”.
Government sources clarified, “there is no change in our position on Taiwan.”
New Delhi had previously reaffirmed its adherence to the ‘One-China’ policy in joint statements with Beijing.
However, it stopped doing so after 2008 in response to China’s practice of issuing ‘stapled visas’ to Indian citizens from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh—an action seen as an assertion of Beijing’s territorial claims over these regions.
The ‘One-China’ policy recognizes only the People’s Republic of China, and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.
During his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval today, Wang Yi highlighted that India and China had been implementing consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, gradually resuming exchanges and dialogue at all levels, maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas, and enabling Indian pilgrims to resume their pilgrimages to sacred mountains and lakes in Tibet autonomous region.
