Vietnam, Indonesia, Tajikistan adhere to 'One China' policy

On Saturday, Taiwan held a general election in which pro-independence candidate Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won with 40.05% of the vote to head the island's local administration. A US delegation visited the island on Sunday.

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"Reaffirming Vietnam's steadfast adherence to the 'One China' policy, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said Vietnam does not develop any state-level relations with Taiwan," a statement on the Vietnamese government's news website read.

Vietnam "maintains and develops people-to-people and non-governmental relations with Taiwan" but also adheres to the principle of non-intervention in each other's internal affairs and believes that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important both to the region and the world, the statement read.

Indonesia "is closely monitoring developments in Taiwan and continues to consistently adhere to the One China principle," Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said, as quoted by the Antara news agency on Sunday.

Tajikistan, too, remains committed to the One China principle and "strongly opposes any attempts of external interference into China's domestic affairs," the Central Asian country's foreign ministry said.

"In light of the so-called elections in China's Taiwan on January 13, 2024, Tajikistan strongly supports the 'One China' policy and considers the Chinese government to be the only legitimate and representative government of the whole of China," the statement read.

Earlier in the day, the Pacific island nation of Nauru announced it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan and affirmed its support for the One China principle.

Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, a territory with its own elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence.

Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)