India on Thursday said the media in the country was free to report on anything, after the Chinese embassy in New Delhi asked journalists not violate the “One-China” policy ahead of the national day of Taiwan, reported PTI. “There is a free media in India that reports on issues as it sees fit,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.
China on Wednesday night reacted to advertisements in the Indian media about Taiwan’s National Day, which is to be celebrated on October 10. “All countries that have diplomatic relations with China should firmly honour their commitment to the One-China policy, which is also the long-standing official position of the Indian government,” the Chinese embassy said a letter issued on October 7. “We hope Indian media can stick to Indian government’s position on Taiwan question and do not violate the One-China principle.”
The embassy said that Taiwan should not be referred to as a “country” or as the “Republic of China”, and its leader should not be called “president”. A Chinese embassy spokesperson on Thursday also tweeted that Taiwan was an inalienable part of China’s territory.
On Wednesday, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu criticised the Chinese embassy’s request to the Indian media to “stick to the Indian government’s position on Taiwan question”. The Taiwan foreign ministry asked China to “get lost” after its advice to journalists.
New Delhi has no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, but the two countries have close business and cultural ties, Reuters reported. In 1995, India and Taiwan established representative offices in Taipei and New Delhi, the Hindustan Times reported.
Relations between India and China have been strained since 20 Indian soldiers and an unidentified number of their Chinese counterparts were killed in a violent clash between the two armies in Ladakh on June 15. The two sides have been talking to each other, but are yet to reach any agreement on ending the standoff on the border.
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