The Taiwan conflict is different from the boundary dispute between New Delhi and Beijing, China’s ambassador to India Sun Weidong said on Saturday, reported The Indian Express.

China’s stance on Taiwan came under renewed focus after United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island nation on August 2. Beijing considers the island country a province that is to be unified with the Chinese mainland. In retaliation to Pelosi’s visit, China had launched multiple live-fire military drills close to Taiwan.

Meanwhile, India and China have been locked in a border standoff since their troops clashed in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020. The two sides have held 16 rounds of commander-level talks to resolve the dispute.

On Saturday, Sun claimed that Taiwan has always been and will continue be a part of China.

“So how to solve the Taiwan question is purely a business of the Chinese government,” he said. “No foreign forces, or the so-called independent Taiwan forces, can change that. This is the firm determination of China.”

The diplomat described the border dispute with India as a “leftover historical burden”.

“This is not the kind of territory which always belonged to China,” he said. “And some other forces tried to separate this part of China’s territory. So the Chinese government and people will never tolerate such actions. That’s the difference of nature between the Taiwan question and the boundary question.”

Sun said China was clear on how to address the dispute with India.

“I think the Indian side also agreed that these disputes should be solved through dialogues and consultations to seek for a fair and reasonable and mutually acceptable solution,” he said. “And before that, we should try to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas.”

China’s claims of sovereignty groundless, says Taiwan

Meanwhile, Taiwan said on Sunday that China’s claims of sovereignty on it was “groundless and false”.

In a statement, Taiwan said it had been handed over to the Republic of China – established in 1912 – after the Second World War and not to the People’s Republic of China, founded in 1949.

“The Chinese Communist regime has never exercised, for one single day, sovereignty over Taiwan administered by the ROC [Republic of China], which manifests Taiwan and China each under separate rules of democracy and autocracy,” it said.

On China’s retaliatory military drills after Pelosi’s visit, Taiwan said that it was entitled to be friends with other countries.

It said that China’s actions have disrupted peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and asked the international community to speak up against the “irrational military provocations” and in support of a democratic Taiwan.

“As a responsible stakeholder of the international community, Taiwan will calmly respond to China’s unreasonable military threats, firmly defend Taiwan’s sovereignty and national security, and protect the front line of democracy and freedom without resorting to the acts of escalation or provocation,” it added.