Taiwan Prez reminisces 'unforgettable memories' from India trip, says 'miss my time there'

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen reminisced the ‘unforgettable’ memories of the time spent in India, hailing the vibrant culture and architectural marvels of the country. Tsai took to Twitter to thank Indian citizens for following her on the micro-blogging platform and shared pictures of her touring Taj Mahal, an immense mausoleum of white marble built in Agra.

While India does not officially maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, people-to-people contacts and commercial links have expanded in recent years. China’s expansionist behaviour in the region has also worked as a catalyst for people of India and Taiwan to share similar sentiments against the authoritarian regime.

The self-governing island republic considers itself as sovereign while China claims the province as Beijing’s territory under its one-China policy. Beijing has become more assertive on the reunification of Taiwan with China under “one country, two systems”, which has threatened Taiwan’s claim of sovereignty.

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Diktat to India media

Last week, the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi wrote an open letter to Indian media to not “recognise” Taiwan by covering the “National Day of Taiwan”, triggering a strong response from the self-governing island. In an unusual letter to the Indian media, the embassy said that the People's Republic of China is only China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory. It stressed that these facts are recognised by UN resolution and constitute the universal consensus of the international community. 

“We hope Indian media can stick to the Indian government's position on the Taiwan question and do not violate the One-China principle,” the letter read.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted China’s indirect threat to Indian media and said that India is the largest democracy on Earth with a vibrant press and freedom-loving people. The ministry wondered whether China is hoping to march into the subcontinent by imposing censorship. It said that India media will have only one reply, “GET LOST!”

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