Russia Hopes Taiwan Settlement Will Not Disrupt Peace in Region: Envoy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia hopes that the settlement of the Taiwan issue will not come at the cost of peace and stability in the region, Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said in an interview with the China Daily newspaper.
"The provocation that took place and the landing of the American plane in Taipei only aggravates an already difficult situation. Of course, as an Asia-Pacific power, Russia hopes that the settlement of the Taiwan issue will not come at the expense of regional peace and stability," the newspaper quoted Denisov as saying on Wednesday, TASS reported.
The envoy also stressed that "the Chinese side - and Washington should clearly understand this - has all legal grounds to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the Taiwan Strait."
China's armed forces began large-scale military drills with missile firing in six areas of Taiwan's waters on August 4.
They began the day after the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei ended. The US official’s visit provoked a harsh reaction from Beijing.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War.
Since then it retains the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China, which existed on the mainland before the Communists came to power. According to China’s official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, the island is one of the Chinese provinces.
