You cannot compare situations in Taipei, Ukraine, China says

China has censured the “naked double standard” in attempts by “some people” to compare the situation in Ukraine to that of the island of Taiwan, which is part of China.

Speaking at his annual news conference on Monday, Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the issues of Taiwan and Ukraine were “not at all comparable.”

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine, whose eastern regions broke away in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

“We have seen that some people emphasize the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, but continue to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan issue. This is a naked double standard,” Wang Yi said, in an apparent reference to the United States.

The Chinese official blamed the Taipei government for its refusal to accept China’s claims over the island, warning that such a perspective would “ruin Taiwan's future.” He also expressed hope that Taiwan would see the peaceful development of ties across the strait that separates the island from mainland China.

Under the ‘One China’ policy, virtually all countries recognize the Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled island. The US, too, recognizes that sovereignty, but in an attempted affront to China and in violation of its own official policy, Washington constantly sells weapons to the island, bypassing Beijing, and ardently supports its secessionist President Tsai Ing-wen.

Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington and its allies against crossing China’s red line.

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