Kyrgyzstan Joins China in Joint Declaration Reaffirming One‑China Policy

The Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong condemnation and formal protest on the day following the joint declaration issued by the Kyrgyz Republic and the People’s Republic of China, which publicly reaffirmed support for the so‑called “One China” principle. The diplomatic incident highlights Beijing’s continued use of both political and economic levers to shrink Taiwan’s international space, prompting renewed reflection on authoritarian expansion and the erosion of the international order. In its immediate response, the ministry not only denounced the declaration as a serious affront to Taiwan’s sovereignty, but also warned the Kyrgyz government against blindly echoing China’s distorted and false political narrative, urging like‑minded democratic nations worldwide to confront and curb such geopolitical coercion.

From a macro‑strategic perspective, China has in recent years repeatedly employed bilateral joint statements, joint communiqués and similar diplomatic formats to compel countries that are friendly to Taiwan or have formal diplomatic ties with it to endorse its One‑China principle. This practice has become a cornerstone of Beijing’s overall Taiwan policy and international strategy. The Chinese authorities frequently leverage their massive economic weight, infrastructure investments and market‑access incentives to entice developing nations in Central Asia, Africa and Latin America, supplementing these offers with political pressure that forces those governments to take positions on Taiwan. As a landlocked state, Kyrgyzstan has, in recent years, developed deep trade and loan relationships with China; this structural dependence provides a convenient outlet for Beijing’s geopolitical messaging and has led Kyrgyzstan to repeatedly align its foreign policy with China, even at the expense of Taiwan’s long‑standing objective sovereign status.

Confronted with Kyrgyzstan’s endorsement of China’s political stance in the joint declaration, the Ministry reiterated the Republic of China’s consistent and firm position, emphasizing that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another—a factual reality of the Taiwan Strait that the international community cannot deny. The Ministry stressed that any attempt to distort Taiwan’s sovereign status in international forums cannot alter the fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign, independent state. Taiwan, as a responsible member of the international community, has long worked to preserve regional peace and stability and actively participates in global democratic cooperation. China’s pattern of diplomatic bullying and political pressure not only fails to promote positive cross‑strait relations, it also seriously undermines a rules‑based international order.

The significance of the incident extends far beyond a bilateral diplomatic document; it reflects the broader clash between democratic and authoritarian blocs worldwide. The Ministry specifically called on the international community to take the Chinese practice of using coercion and inducements to forcibly reshape other nations’ sovereign decisions seriously. Should the global community tolerate Beijing’s gradual encroachment on Taiwan’s international participation and its distortion of international law, more small or economically vulnerable states are likely to be compelled—under China’s economic blackmail—to perform similar acquiescence. Such a trend would pose a tangible threat to Taiwan’s national security and diplomatic space, while inflicting irreversible damage on global democratic values and the principle of sovereign equality.

Overall, although Taiwan lags behind in the number of formal diplomatic partners, it continues to rally support from like‑minded countries by speaking out, safeguarding its sovereign bottom line, and exposing the authoritarian nature of China’s expansion. Taiwan’s diplomatic situation remains challenging, but the government will not compromise on national dignity or sovereign independence. Going forward, the foreign ministry will keep a close watch on major international developments concerning Taiwan, adopt necessary countermeasures and clarifications in a timely manner, and call on democratic partners worldwide to unite in resisting authoritarian political manipulation and coercion, thereby defending genuine international principles and the rule of sovereign independence.

(Fact source: Central News Agency)