Retreating 'One China policy,' Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said that the territorial integrity with Taiwan had never been and will not be severed, adding that "there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China."
In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, the Foreign Minister said, "There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an undeniable historical and legal fact. Though there is political antagonism between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as a result of the civil war fought many years ago, China's sovereignty and territorial integrity has never been severed and will not be severed."
"This is the true status quo of the Taiwan question and also the essence of the 1992 Consensus reflecting the one-China principle, and therefore forms the foundation for pursuing peaceful development of cross-Strait ties," Wang Yi said.
He also accused the Taiwanese nationalist party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of the tension in the region.
"The DPP authorities, however, have been bent on undermining this status quo and foundation. They are the ones responsible for current tensions in the Taiwan Strait," the Chinese Foreign Minister said.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan. The Chinese leaders have expressed their desire to "reunify" the country.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, President Xi Jinping had said that "solving the Taiwan question and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland are the unswerving historical tasks of the Chinese Communist Party and the common aspiration of all Chinese people", said Newsweek.
However, Taipei sees itself as increasingly distinct from mainland China. But a large percentage (about 26 per cent in 2016) of Taiwan's trade is with the mainland."
( With inputs from ANI )
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