Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-13
By: Lin Yung-fu and Staff Reporter

President Xi Jinping of China made a joint statement with his Belarusian

Xi Jinping shakes hands with Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, May 10. Photo/Xinhua)

counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on May 10 announcing the deepening of the strategic partnership between the two countries and joint opposition to Taiwan independence, according to our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.

The third part of the statement concerned opposition to any form of Taiwan independence, a promise from the Belarusian government not to establish relations with Taiwan or interact with Taiwanese officials, to oppose Taiwan joining any international or regional organizations which limit members to sovereign nations and a promise not to sell arms to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council responded to the statement on May 11, stating that the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) is a sovereign country and that the ROC government’s policy towards mainland China is to maintain the status quo of “no unification, no independence, no war” in cross-strait relations inasmuch as it conforms to the ROC Constitution and the will of the Taiwanese people. The MAC added that neither side across the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other, therefore statements or actions on the part of the PRC do not have any effect on the status of Taiwan as a sovereign country.     [FULL  STORY]