Tensions between China and Taiwan resurfaced on the global stage after Taiwan’s foreign minister sharply pushed back against remarks made by China’s top diplomat at the Munich Security Conference. While Beijing accused certain countries of attempting to separate Taiwan from China and emphasized adherence to the UN Charter, Taipei argued that China itself poses the real security threat in the region.
Taiwan’s foreign minister stated that, from a historical, legal, and factual perspective, Taiwan has never been under the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China. He criticized Beijing for what he described as hypocrisy—publicly advocating peace and the principles of the United Nations while simultaneously conducting military drills and increasing pressure around Taiwan. According to Taipei, such actions contradict the UN Charter’s commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force.
China maintains that Taiwan was restored to Chinese rule after World War II and considers any challenge to that claim as a challenge to its sovereignty and the postwar international order. Taiwan’s government disputes this narrative, arguing that the island was handed over to the Republic of China in 1945—years before the People’s Republic of China was established. Officials in Taipei insist that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine their future.
With Chinese military activity around the island continuing on a near-daily basis, including large-scale exercises in recent months, the divide remains deeply entrenched. For Taipei, these maneuvers signal coercion and growing pressure; for Beijing, they represent a defense of national unity. The dispute remains one of the most sensitive and strategically significant flashpoints in East Asia today.
