MOFA protests labeling of Taiwan in China-Vietnam joint statement

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday condemned a joint statement issued by China and Vietnam that asserted Taiwan is a part of China.

MOFA said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" the two governments' claims that "Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory," noting that the statement was "a serious departure from facts."

The Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) is a sovereign and independent country and it is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China (PRC), MOFA said.

The PRC has never ruled Taiwan, MOFA said in the statement, which also criticized Beijing for consistently spreading rhetoric that undermines Taiwan's sovereignty in international settings.

MOFA's comments came one day after Vietnam and China issued a joint statement on strengthening their strategic cooperative partnership, following China's leader Xi Jinping's (習近平) visit to Hanoi from Monday to Tuesday.

In that statement, Vietnam also said it "supported ... the cause of China's unification, [and] resolutely opposes any separatist activity seeking 'Taiwan independence.'"