Foreign Affairs
Swarajya Staff
Nov 16, 2023, 03:20 PM | Updated 03:19 PM IST
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China actively discourages nations from engaging with Taiwan, an electronics powerhouse that the Chinese Communist Party claims as a breakaway territory.
Frequently, it compels businesses and countries to retract official recognition of Taiwan as a distinct entity if they wish to establish formal relations with the People's Republic of China.
In this context, the recent comments made by India's External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar, are likely to cause significant concern for the Chinese Communist Party.
During a conference in the United Kingdom, EAM Jaishankar emphasised India's growing ties with Taiwan.
"We have substantial technology, economic, and commercial relations with Taiwan. Taiwan, especially known for its prowess in electronics and, more recently, in semiconductors, has seen an upswing in the levels of cooperation," the minister informed the gathering.
These comments come at a time when India's relations with China are at their worst in decades, with the two sides engaged in the most serious military standoff along the boundary in over 40 years.
In the past, China has insisted that India respect the One China Policy if New Delhi wants cordial relations with Beijing, a demand that India has ignored in recent years.
"For India to agree to a One China policy, China should reaffirm a One India policy," India stated in 2014, just months into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first term.