Chinese President rejects EU invitation to attend summit marking 50 years of ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping has declined an invitation to attend a summit planned to be held in Brussels to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between his country and the European Union.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has declined an invitation to attend a summit planned to be held in Brussels to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between his country and the European Union.
China recently strongly criticized a statement issued by some European countries that make up the G7 group regarding Taiwan.
Some analysts believe that Chinese President Xi's stance in rejecting the European invitation is related to Beijing's dissatisfaction with the statement made by EU member states.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa, Canada, where the G7 summit was held, responded to a joint statement by the group's foreign ministers, saying: "The Asia-Pacific region is a field for peace and development, not a chessboard for your geopolitical competition."
Beijing has also stressed that Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese mainland and that the island issue is Beijing's internal affair, and the key to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is to adhere to the "One China Principle" and resolutely oppose those who want to secede from Taiwan; and therefore any participation of the island in international organizations must be in accordance with the "One China Principle".
The statement from the Chinese embassy in Ottawa added that Beijing firmly defends its territorial sovereignty, rights and maritime interests and condemns the G7's harmful actions against China's sovereignty.
The G7 group, which includes France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Japan, has supported Taiwan's participation in international organizations and institutions at their recent meeting held in Canada..
