China Should Take Land From Russia Before Claiming Taiwan, Say Taiwan President (Facebook image @Lai Ching-te)
Lai Ching-te, Taiwan President, said that if China’s claims on Taipei are about territorial integrity, then it should also take back land from Russia, which was signed over by the last Chinese dynasty in the 19th century. The President made the remark during an interview with Taiwanese media.
Beijing views the democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never rejected the use of force to bring the island nation under its control. Taiwan’s government reject the claims, saying that only the Island’s people can decide their future.
During the interview, Lai brought up the 1858 Treaty of Aigun, in which China signed a vast tract of land, which is now Russia’s far east to the Russian empire, forming much of the present day border along the Amur River.
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The Qing dynasty of China, which is in a terminal decline then, originally refused to ratify the treaty. However, two years later, the Convention of Peking treaty was reached. China call it as the “unequal” treaties with foreign powers in the 19th Century.
“China’s intention to attack and annex Taiwan is not because of what any one person or political party in Taiwan says or does. It is not for the sake of territorial integrity that China wants to annex Taiwan”, said Lai.
He further added that, “If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t it take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the Treaty of Aigun? Russia is now at its weakest right?”.
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Lai said China could ask the land back from Russia, but they don’t, from which it is obvious that “they don’t want to invade Taiwan for territorial reasons”.
Taiwan Affairs Office in Taiwan does not immediately respond to the request for comment from Reuters. China claims that Taiwan has been Chinese territory since ancient times.
The Taiwan President said that what China really wants to do with its designs on Taiwan is to change the rules-based international order. “It wants to achieve hegemony in the international area, in the Western Pacific – that is it’s real aim”, said Lai, as quoted by Reuters.
