China Claims Both Sides Of Taiwan Strait Belong To Beijing

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said recently that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China and that it is right and proper for China to uphold its sovereignty, repeating the mantra of Deng Xiaoping and his successors, Casey Hall reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Practically all 500,000 members of four indigenous communities in Taiwan dismiss Qin’s claim.

Qin made the remarks at the Lanting Forum in Shanghai, where he discussed a wide range of topics from debt, to the global economy and Taiwan.

"Recently there has been absurd rhetoric accusing China of upending the status quo, disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Qin said. "The logic is absurd and the conclusion dangerous."

He added that "it is not the Chinese mainland, but the Taiwan independence separatist forces and a handful of countries attempting to disrupt the status quo. Those who play with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned."

More than 94% of Taiwanese consider themselves Taiwanese and not Chinese, successive surveys have found out, and the only ones who want to “reunify” with China represent the minority of the descendants of Han Chinese who migrated to the island under Japanese colonial rule.

Practically all 500,000 members of four indigenous communities in Taiwan dismiss Qin’s claim, saying their ancestors ruled the island for 6,000 years as Han Chinese imperialists never set foot on the island, perhaps out of fear that headhunters would behead them.

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