Recently, President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) pointed out in a recent interview that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should not ignore the fact that Russia occupies Chinese territory and raised doubts about its supposed commitment to maintaining territorial integrity. This issue has sparked widespread attention from international media outlets. Taiwan legislator Wang Ting-yu also questioned whether the CCP truly cares about territorial matters or if they are merely seeking to swallow Taiwan as part of their strategic agenda.
As President Tsai Ing-wen marked 100 days in office, during an interview with TV show host Zhang Yaqin on “Yaqin’s World,” she emphasized that the democratic and free way of life that the Taiwanese people aspire to should not be seen as a challenge by the CCP. She further pointed out that the CCP’s aim to annex Taiwan is not solely about territorial integrity. If the CCP truly cared about territorial integrity, why haven’t they reclaimed the lands signed away in the Aigun Treaty with Russia?
According to a report by Newsweek, in recent years, the CCP’s previous concessions to Russia have become a topic of debate among nationalist groups within China. Some argue that Moscow should return occupied Chinese territories, including the city of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
The Guardian reported that Taiwan’s strategic position in the core of the first island chain of the Pacific Ocean allows China to effectively control key fortresses in the region by taking control of Taiwan and increasing its influence over the Taiwan Strait.
Wang Ting-yu, a Taiwanese legislator, expressed through video recordings that during the interview, President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that if the CCP truly valued territorial integrity, they should first reclaim the territories occupied by Russia. Wang emphasized the disparity in the land sizes and the ease at which China could make such a claim given Russia’s current vulnerabilities.
Wang Ting-yu raised doubts about whether the CCP genuinely cares about territorial matters or if the intent behind annexing Taiwan lies in its strategic agenda to project its military power into the Pacific region, posing a threat to neighboring democratic countries such as Japan and others along the first island chain. President Tsai’s assertion is that the CCP fundamentally does not prioritize territorial integrity, as evidenced by their reluctance to pursue the return of lands from Russia, but instead targets Taiwan due to its strategic ambitions of regional and global dominance.
President Tsai remarked, “Now is the weakest time for Russia. Since the signing of the Aigun Treaty during the Qing Dynasty, China could ask Russia to return the lands, but it has not done so. It is evident that the invasion of Taiwan by the CCP is not solely based on territorial disputes.” She highlighted the CCP’s goal of challenging the rules-based world order and seeking hegemony in the Western Pacific or on the world stage, underscoring their broader ambitions beyond just Taiwan.
Wang Ting-yu emphasized that the CCP’s ambition to become a global hegemon poses a threat not only to the leadership of the United States but also to the freedom and democracy of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. He stressed the importance of Taiwan’s security as a shared responsibility and how understanding the CCP’s strategic agenda is crucial for both regional democracies and major democratic nations like those in Europe and America.
As of now, the official stance of the CCP regarding President Tsai Ing-wen’s statements remains unanswered. Wang Ting-yu stated that President Tsai’s revelation of the truth has put the CCP in a difficult position, exposing their unwillingness to address the issue, as well as concealing from the Chinese people the sacrifices made by giving away vast territories to Russia while targeting Taiwan, a territory that has never been part of Communist China.
In early December 1999, former CCP leader Jiang Zemin signed the “Description Protocol of the East and West Sections of the China-Russia Boundary Line” with visiting Russian President Yeltsin in Beijing, surrendering over 1 million square kilometers of valuable territory to Russia, equivalent to the total area of Northeast China and several dozen Taiwans; Jiang even ceded the estuary of the Tumen River to Russia.
Wang Ting-yu highlighted that many international scholars and experts have commended President Tsai Ing-wen’s approach of responding to the CCP’s falsehoods and ambitions with truth, underscoring it as a commendable response.
Wang Ting-yu remarked that since taking office, President Tsai Ing-wen has been forthright and proactive on sovereignty issues, using the existing constitutional framework to address challenges, with the goal of fostering unity in Taiwan and debunking the CCP’s lies. President Tsai’s strategic articulations aim to counteract the CCP’s agenda effectively.