China said that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory.
New Delhi:
India on Thursday took a veiled shot from China on guidelines issued by its embassy in New Delhi to Indian media not to violate the “One China” policy before Taiwan’s national day, saying there are “free media” in the country.
“There are free media outlets in India reporting on the issues as it sees fit,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told a news conference.
The spokesman said this when asked to comment on a letter sent to reporters by the Chinese embassy asking to respect the “one China” policy.
“All countries that have diplomatic relations with China must firmly honor their commitment to the one-China policy, which is also the long-standing official position of the Indian government,” the October 7 letter read.
“We hope that the Indian media can stick to the position of the Indian government on the Taiwan issue and not violate the one-China principle,” he said.
The letter was issued in the wake of announcements published by the Taiwanese government in a couple of major Indian newspapers ahead of National Taiwan Day on October 10.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy also tweeted on Thursday that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.
India has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
In 1995, New Delhi established the India-Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei to promote interactions between the two parties and facilitate business, tourism and cultural exchanges.
The India-Taipei Association has also been authorized to provide all consular and passport services. In the same year, Taiwan also established the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Delhi.
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