China Protests Indian Prime Minister Modi Over 'Tweet with Taiwan President'

China immediately lodged a protest with India over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's congratulatory message.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the ruling party to victory in the general election.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 6th, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing, in response to the question, "President Tsai congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his victory, and Modi replied that he would establish closer ties with Taiwan. What is your view on this?" that "First of all, there is no such thing as a 'president' in the Taiwan region," and "China has consistently opposed any form of official exchanges between countries with diplomatic relations and the Taiwan authorities."

He added, "The 'One China' principle is a recognized basic norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. India has made a solemn political commitment to this and must clearly recognize and guard against and reject the political ambitions of the Taiwan authorities," and said, "China has already submitted a negotiation (protest through diplomatic channels) to India."

President Tsai, the previous day, congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his third term through her official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating, "We look forward to strengthening the rapidly growing Taiwan-India partnership and enhancing cooperation in trade, technology, and other areas to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific." The Taiwanese Presidential Office also issued a separate official congratulatory message.

Prime Minister Modi retweeted President Tsai's X post and replied, "I look forward to us building closer ties as we work towards a mutually beneficial economic and technological partnership."

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated Modi on his election victory the previous day, stating, "We are willing to work with India to look at the bigger picture, move towards the future, and guide bilateral relations to develop along a healthy and stable trajectory."