A day after the Chinese foreign ministry raised objections to the exchange of congratulatory messages between Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi reiterated Beijing’s objection and declared that Taiwan is an “inseparable part” of China. The protest by the Chinese mission comes two days after the Taiwanese president congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India said in a post on social media on Twitter, “There is no such thing as a ‘president’ in the Taiwan region. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is an indisputable fact, a universal consensus of the international community, and a basic norm in international relations.”

Many global leaders congratulated Mr Modi after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a majority in the recent Lok Sabha elections. On June 5, President Lai congratulated Mr Modi and said that Taiwan is committed to expanding partnership with India in trade, technology and other areas.

Responding to the message, Mr Modi thanked the Taiwanese leader and expressed hope for “closer ties” that would lead to “mutually beneficial economic and technological partnerships”. The Prime Minister did not address Mr Lai as ‘President’.

Responding to a question by the media in Beijing about the talks between the Taiwanese president and Mr Modi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday, “First of all, there is no such thing as a ‘president’ of the Taiwan region.” She said India has made “serious political commitments” regarding Beijing’s long-standing position on Taiwan.

The Foreign Ministry did not give any official statement on this matter.

Taiwan hits back

On Friday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry hit back at Beijing, saying, “China’s anger at the cordial exchange between the leaders of the two democracies is completely unjustified. Threats and intimidation never lead to friendship. Taiwan is committed to building a partnership with India based on mutual benefit and shared values.”

Earlier on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller commented on the issue while responding to a media query and said, “Such congratulatory messages are a normal part of diplomatic practice.”

The talks between Beijing and Taiwan over the congratulatory message sent by President Lai to Prime Minister Modi come after weeks of military exercises carried out by the Chinese military near the Taiwan coast. On May 23, China’s Eastern Command of the People’s Liberation Army began a two-day military exercise called “Joint Li Chien-2024A” around Taiwan.

The deployment of naval and air assets by the PLA came soon after Taiwan inaugurated William Lai Ching-te as president. Protesting against the Chinese military exercises, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said, “We do not seek any conflict, but we will not back down from it. We are confident of protecting our national security.”

China’s military activities continue and Taiwan also spotted Chinese aircraft and naval ships near its coast on Friday.