The Foreign Ministry on Thursday responded to a joint statement issued by the governments of Colombia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) earlier the same day, saying it distorts Taiwan’s sovereignty. 

The Colombia-PRC statement announced that the bilateral relationship had been upgraded to a “strategic partnership”. It comes on the heels of a state visit to Beijing by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The document also says that Colombia reaffirms its adherence to the “One China” principle and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the PRC's territory. Additionally, it includes language stating that Colombia firmly supports the PRC’s efforts to achieve “national unification.”

In a press release, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said that such comments are fallacies commonly used by the Chinese government. It says it condemns the PRC’s repeated use of meetings with heads of state to maliciously make derogatory comments about Taiwan’s sovereignty. 

The ministry reiterated its position that the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, is a sovereign and independent country that has never been ruled by the PRC. It says that no other country has the right to rule Taiwan and that this is a known fact to the whole world. 

The ministry went on to warn Colombia against China’s attempts to export its hegemony through programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative. It called Taiwan a beacon of democracy that will continue to ally with democratic countries to curb the expansion of authoritarianism and contribute to global prosperity and stability.