Indian government's silence on the situation in the Taiwan Strait draws attention

Indian government's silence on the situation in the Taiwan Strait draws attention https://whatchinareads.com/article/?uid=fe9662b6152511ed991fc7030b3aab5e

2022-08-06: [Article Link]  Source: Global Times Despite the noises of a few Western countries, such as the Group of Seven (G7), the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, Pelosi, had visited Taiwan, and the international community had generally opposed it and reiterated its support for the one-China principle. However, several Indian media outlets have noted that the Government has yet to formally pronounce itself on the incident. An analysis of Global Times journalists by South Asian experts in Yong Xinchun on 5 September concluded that the Indian government has little direct interest in Taiwan, and therefore that neither side should be criminalized, an option that is based on reality. “In the light of the growing international response to the situation in the Taiwan Strait and tensions in the US, New Delhi opted for a ‘researched silence’.” The Hindu newspaper mentioned on 4 that India chose to avoid talking about Taiwan during the sensitive period of border negotiations with China. According to India’s Telegraph, as of the night of 5 local time, India had not commented on the Pelaxi’s visit to Taiwan, nor on the Chinese response. The Hindu newspaper quoted officials and experts from the country as saying that India’s failure to issue a statement was well thought out, as New Delhi was trying to avoid a dispute over the sensitive issue between the US and China. The Indian media also noted that during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting and the series of meetings held this week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Indian Foreign Minister Sojisen did not mention the issue of Taiwan during his meeting with United States Secretary of State Blinken. According to a statement issued by the United States Department of State, Blinken had an exchange of views on global and regional issues during his 4th meeting with Sujsen, including the Russian-Ukraine conflict and its impact on global food security, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the situation in Myanmar. The Hindu newspaper mentions that India has pursued a Chinese policy since 1949 and that it has shown that it does not recognize any “China Government” other than the People's Republic of China and has only unofficial trade and cultural links with Taiwan. However, New Delhi no longer referred to this policy in official statements and joint statements after 2008, which, according to Indian officials, were linked to the issue of the Chinese-Indian border, did not mean a change of policy. The Executive Director of the Chengdu Institute stated to the Global Times journalist, Yong Hengchun, on 5 September, that India had yet to make a public statement, mainly because it did not have much direct interest in the Taiwan issue and did not wish to offend China or the United States as a result. Ryu Hengchun said that India, as a whole, has adhered to the one-China principle. Despite the fact that some Indian media or civil society would be pessimistic about Taiwan and try to “Taiwan cards” to hold China hostage, the Indian government is more cautious on this issue. The Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, in an interview with the Times of India on 3 March, responded with regard to the Pelaxi visit to Taiwan, stating that the one-China principle is the general consensus of the international community, the political basis for China's engagement with countries, including India, and is at the heart of China's core interests and an insurmountable red line and bottom line. Sun Weidong said that India was one of the first countries to recognize a China. It was to be hoped that the Indian side would adhere to the one-China principle, recognize the serious dangers of the vicious political designs and separatist forces of the “Taiwan independence” during the visit of Pelosi, understand and support China’s efforts to defend its sovereignty, security, and development interests, and work with China to promote the healthy development of Chinese-Indian relations.