China has no right to represent Taiwan at Interpol: MOFA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/13
By: Elaine Hou and Ko Lin 

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) called Saturday for the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to invite Taiwan to participate in its general assembly this year, stressing that China has no right to represent Taiwan.

Taiwan, officially designated the Republic of China (ROC), was a member state of Interpol until 1984, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was admitted into the world body. Taiwan decided to withdraw after Interpol sought to change the country’s official name from the ROC to “China Taiwan.”

Responding to media reports suggesting that Interpol has again declined to invite Taiwan to the annual event, MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that “Taiwan is not part of China and the latter has no right to represent the country on the international stage.”

Only the democratically elected government of the country can be responsible for the wellbeing of Taiwan’s 23 million people, Lee said.    [FULL  STORY]