No mention of President Yoon Seok-yeol's profession
Strong reaction to President Yoon's remarks
Two days after President Yoon Suk-yeol opposed any change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force, China's Foreign Minister issued a strong response, saying, "Those who play with fire on the Taiwan issue will surely burn themselves."
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, Qin Gang, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, said this on the 21st during his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the "Lanting (blue hall) Forum" held in Shanghai under the theme "Chinese-style Modernization and the World." He stated, "The Taiwan issue is at the core of China's core interests." The phrase "playing with fire..." was previously mentioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping in July last year when Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan, and again in November 2021 during an online communication with U.S. President Joe Biden regarding the Taiwan issue.
Minister Qin said, "Recently, we have often heard rumors such as China 'challenging the rules-based international order,' 'attempting to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force or intimidation,' and 'destroying peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.'" He emphasized, "Such statements violate the minimum international common sense and historical justice; their logic is absurd, and their consequences will be dangerous."
Earlier, on the 19th, President Yoon stated in an interview with a foreign media outlet regarding the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, "These tensions have arisen due to attempts to change the status quo by force, and we firmly oppose any change to the status quo by force together with the international community."
Minister Qin did not mention President Yoon by name on this occasion. However, considering that he cited claims with the same intent as President Yoon's remarks and that the day before, South Korean and Chinese diplomatic authorities had a dispute over President Yoon's comments, his remarks are analyzed as a response to President Yoon's interview.
Minister Qin added, "Taiwan has historically been an inseparable part of Chinese territory, and both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to 'One China.' This is Taiwan's history and its current status." He further explained, "Taiwan's return to China was part of the post-World War II international order and is explicitly stated in the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration."
He then asserted, "Today, it is not the Chinese mainland but the Taiwan independence and separatist forces and a few countries attempting to use 'Taiwan independence' that are destroying international rules, unilaterally changing the status quo, and undermining stability in the Taiwan Strait."
He added, "We warn those forces that claim to uphold the 'international order' but damage international justice. The Taiwan issue is at the core of China's core interests. Whoever tries to add words to the 'One China' principle, we will never fear them, and whoever tries to infringe upon China's sovereignty and security, we will never back down." The mention of "playing with fire..." came immediately after this statement.
Qin Gang, regarded as a symbolic figure of China's assertive foreign policy known as "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy," is considered President Xi Jinping's favored diplomat in foreign affairs. After serving as ambassador to the United States, he was appointed Foreign Minister in December last year, succeeding Wang Yi, a current member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, and in March, he concurrently took on the higher-ranking position of State Councilor.
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