Recently, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and certain groups made irresponsible remarks on China’s military drills around the Taiwan island, which are nothing but hypocrisy and distortion. Certain politicians in the Netherlands have forwarded those remarks on social media. In response, the Spokesperson of the Embassy of China in the Netherlands makes the following statement:

The military drills conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are a punitive and deterrent measure targeting separatist forces that seek “Taiwan independence” through military buildup, and a just and necessary action to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no external interference.

The EEAS and certain groups turn a blind eye to the rampant military expansion and provocative activities of the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, as well as to external interference in China’s internal affairs, yet attack China for taking legitimate actions to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is sheer hypocrisy and deliberate distortion. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes these statements, which seriously violate the one-China principle and interfere in China’s internal affairs.

The biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait comes from the separatist activities of the “Taiwan independence” forces and the external connivance and support they receive. To truly uphold peace and stability across the Strait, one must adhere to the one-China principle and unequivocally oppose “Taiwan independence”. We hope the Netherlands side will honor the political commitments it has made to China, implement the one-China principle in concrete actions, and refrain from sending any wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.