The Foreign Ministry (MOFA) said Beijing has a long-standing habit of distorting international documents, noting that under the Treaty of San Francisco, Taiwan was not handed over to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) rejected Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s (王毅) claim that Taiwan’s status has been “seven-fold locked” by wartime declarations and UN Resolution 2758. Hsiao said Beijing selectively cites documents that support its narrative while ignoring legally binding treaties and historical facts that contradict its position.

Hsiao said the Treaty of San Francisco — signed in 1951 to formally end World War II in the Pacific — replaced political declarations such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. The treaty did not assign sovereignty over Taiwan to the PRC.

“The treaty did not transfer Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China, and the PRC has never governed Taiwan. Therefore Taiwan is absolutely not part of the PRC, and this position has already been acknowledged by major democratic countries,” Hsiao said.

Hsiao also emphasized Taiwan’s democratic development, noting that political liberalization in the 1980s and the island’s first direct presidential election in 1996 established a fully elected government that exercises effective control and represents Taiwan internationally.