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Taiwan rejects China's 'one country, two systems' plan for the island
Taiwan's military released a handbook on civil defence for the first time on Tuesday (Apr 12). It gives citizens survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure (File photo: Pixabay)

Taiwan rejects the “one country, two systems” model proposed by Beijing in a white paper published this week, the self-ruled island's foreign ministry said on Thursday (August 11).

Only Taiwan's people can decide its future, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told a news conference in Taipei, the capital.

China was using U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei as an “excuse to create a new normality to intimidate Taiwan's people,” Ou added.

In the paper, China said that Taiwan is part of China and has belonged to China since ancient times.

"We are one China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an indisputable fact supported by history and the law. Taiwan has never been a state; its status as part of China is unalterable," said the white paper.

"The realization of complete national reunification is driven by the history and culture of the Chinese nation and determined by the momentum towards and circumstances surrounding our national rejuvenation.

Taiwan is an island, roughly 100 miles from the coast of south east China. It sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to US foreign policy - Text. BBC/Photo. Pixabay

Never before have we been so close to, confident in, and capable of achieving the goal of national rejuvenation. The same is true when it comes to our goal of complete national reunification," added the white paper.

China releases paper on Taiwan reunification

The paper said that peaceful reunification and “one country, two systems” are basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question and the best approach to realizing national reunification.

In the paper, China blamed the Western interference in the Taiwan issue, assuring that relying on external powers will achieve nothing for Taiwan's separatists.

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