Ukraine is not Taiwan, says Chinese foreign minister

Wang Yi describes Russia as 'China's most important strategic partner'

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There is no comparison between China's claim to Taiwan and the crisis in Ukraine, Beijing's foreign minister said on Monday.

Wang Yi said Taiwan was a domestic matter for China, while Ukraine was a dispute between two countries.

"We have seen that some people emphasise the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, but continue to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan issue. This is a naked double standard," he said, in apparent reference to the US.

Mr Wang was speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of China's annual parliament meeting.

China claims the island as its own territory and insists that Taiwan has never been an independent country.

It held military exercises near the island in recent months, in what was described by Taiwan as a threat to it.

Taiwan says only the Taiwanese people can choose their future.

China's President Xi Jinping said last year he wanted to realise peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan.

Washington is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, a frequent source of friction in Sino-US relations.

Mr Wang said tensions were Taiwan's fault for its refusal to accept that it is part of China, a refusal which will "ruin Taiwan's future".

In his reaction to the Chinese minister, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement it was China's military threats, diplomatic pressure and attempts to "assault" the island that were the cause of tensions.

Cars are left abandoned on a road as residents flee the town of Irpin, Ukraine after days of heavy shelling. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier helps a family fleeing from Irpin. Reuters

A bus passes the Duke of Wellington statue, which has a traffic cone in the colours of the flag of Ukraine placed on top of it, in Glasgow, Scotland. AP

Ukrainian children sleep at the reception point at the train station in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters

Smoke rises as a Ukrainian soldier stands by the only escape route used by locals to flee from the town of Irpin. Reuters

A man flees from Irpin. Reuters

A screengrab from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows a purported Russian tank unit advancement in the Kyiv region. AFP

People walk on debris of residential buildings damaged by shelling in the Zhytomyr region. Reuters

A damaged residential building after Russian multiple rocket launchers shelled the area in the southern city of Mykolaiv. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers sit in their armoured vehicle after fighting against Russian troops and Russia-backed separatists near Zolote village, Luhansk region. AFP

A woman offers accommodation for people fleeing Ukraine at the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images

A soldier holds a helmet as a wedding crown during the ceremony for members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov, at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a woman fleeing the town of Irpin. AP

A factory and warehouse burn after being bombarded in Irpin. AP

Ukrainian soldiers near Zolote. AFP

A Ukrainian refugee boy, wearing a blanket on his shoulders, warms his hands with a gas heater shortly after crossing the Siret border into northern Romania. EPA

People demonstrate against the Russian military operation in Ukraine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA

First responders work at the scene after a missile hit a building at Havryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman at a checkpoint on the road to Kyiv after her evacuation from a nearby town. AFP

A placard in the Ukrainian colours is held up at an anti-war demonstration the Bebelplatz square in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

A Ukrainian serviceman helps an elderly woman in Irpin, 20 kilometres north-west of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Protesters cry during a demonstration in support of Ukraine at the Plaza Catalunya square in Barcelona. AFP

A man walks past a machine gun at a checkpoint next to the last bridge on the road that connects the town of Stoyanka to the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen put a wounded man on a stretcher in Irpin. AP Photo

People board a train to return to Ukraine after getting supplies in Zahony, Hungary. AP Photo

Balloons in the colors of Ukraine during a demonstration against the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Mainz, Germany. AP

A Ukrainian girl helps to weave a camouflage net for the Ukrainian army, in Odesa. EPA

Molotov cocktails prepared by a group of volunteers in Odesa. Hundreds are made every day. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen assist people fleeing the town of Irpin after crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge that was destroyed by a Russian air strike. AP Photo

A woman holds a dog while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge that was destroyed by a Russian airstrike, while assisting people fleeing the town of Irpin, Ukraine. AP Photo

Marina Yatsko and her boyfriend Fedor comfort each other at a hospital in Mariupol after her 18-month-old son Kirill was killed by shelling. AP Photo

Ukrainian civilians receive weapons training in a cinema in Lviv, western Ukraine. AP Photo

Residents flee the town of Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

Ukrainian soldiers carry a sick woman as civilians flee Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, after Russian attacks. AP Photo

Captured Russian soldiers at a press conference in the Interfax news agency in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

Ukrainians beneath a destroyed bridge in Irpin. AP Photo

A woman fleeing Ukraine on a bus near the border crossing in Korczowa, Poland. AP Photo

A Ukrainian soldier and a militia man help a fleeing family on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. AP Photo

Smoke rises after shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol. AP Photo

People at a hospital during shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol. AP Photo

Displaced Ukrainians at the Resurrection New Athos Monastery in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP

'China's most strategic partner'

The Chinese foreign minister also described Russia as "China's most important strategic partner".

“No matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,” Mr Wang told reporters.

China has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rejected joining the US and the EU in imposing sanctions on Moscow. It, however, expressed its concerns about the growing humanitarian crisis and called for a political settlement of the conflict.

During an hour-long phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Mr Wang said China opposes any moves that “add fuel to the flames” in Ukraine.

He said the US and Europe should pay attention to the negative impact of Nato’s eastward expansion on Russia’s security.

In his press conference, Mr Wang said ties with Moscow constituted “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world”.

“The friendship between the two peoples is ironclad,” he added.

Much attention has been paid to a meeting between Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on February 4, after which a joint statement was issued, affirming “strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests”.

Russia endorsed China’s view of self-governing Taiwan as an “inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan".

China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies. Their armies have carried out several joint exercises in the past.

Agencies contributed to this report.