The Chinese government has protested the discussion of the Taiwan issue at the recent foreign ministers' meeting between South Korea, the United States, and Japan, asserting that "no outsiders have the right to interfere."

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Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, strongly protests the Taiwan discussions held by the foreign ministers of South Korea, the US, and Japan during a regular press briefing on the 15th. / Photo courtesy of People's Daily

According to a report on the 15th by the Global Times, a sister publication of the ruling party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office—China's agency in charge of Taiwan affairs—responded to a question at a regular press briefing regarding the Taiwan discussions during the South Korea-US-Japan foreign ministers' meeting by stating, "The Taiwan issue is purely an internal affair of China, and no outsiders have the right to interfere."

She went on to claim, "There is only 'one China' in the world, and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China," asserting that "this is the true status quo of the Taiwan Strait."

Zhu also argued that "relevant measures conducted by mainland authorities around the island of Taiwan are legitimate actions to safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the overall interests of the Chinese nation." She then urged, "The nations involved must strictly adhere to the One China principle, refrain from meddling in the Taiwan issue, and stop sending any wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' forces."

Prior to this, the foreign ministers of South Korea, the US, and Japan met on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkiye on the 7th to exchange views on Northeast Asian issues. During this meeting, the three nations also discussed the Taiwan Strait. Specifically, the US and Japanese governments disclosed that they had exchanged views and expressed concern over the unstable situation around Taiwan and attempts to unilaterally change the status quo. However, the South Korean government did not publicly disclose that discussions regarding the Taiwan Strait had taken place.

                                                                                                           Hong Soon-do