The Chinese Embassy in Poland attacked Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for his recent remarks about Ukraine and Taiwan.
During his speech at the Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council, Morawiecki connected the issues of the two countries, saying that supporting Ukraine is crucial for Taiwan’s independence.
“It is not possible to protect Ukraine today and tomorrow by saying that Taiwan is not our concern. We must support Ukraine if we want Taiwan to remain independent. If Ukraine is conquered, China could attack Taiwan the next day. I see a very strong connection, a lot of interdependence between the situation in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan and China,” said Morawiecki in Washington.
The Chinese Embassy in Poland did not take long to react. “On April 13, a Polish government official … openly compared the issues of Taiwan and Ukraine, and made the unsubstantiated claim that if Ukraine loses the war, mainland China will attack Taiwan the next day,” the statement read.
“Any attempt to use the Ukraine issue as a pretext to insinuate a relationship with the Taiwan issue is political manipulation with ulterior motives, mindless trampling on the principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and flagrant interference in China’s internal affairs,” the statement continued.
Although the embassy did not at any point refer to the “certain Polish state official” as the prime minister of Poland in their statement, it is clear that the text referred to Morawiecki’s remarks in his Washington speech.
The Chinese Embassy in Warsaw further argued that Taiwan is a part of China and its fate is an internal matter for Beijing.
“We urge the Polish official involved in this matter to fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, faithfully abide by the One-China principle, exercise caution in words and deeds concerning the Taiwan issue, and avoid disrupting China-Poland relations,” the statement continues.
The Polish minister for information security, Stanisław Żaryn, commented on Twitter that the attack on the head of the Polish government is an attempt to force Warsaw to adopt a Chinese perspective on Taiwan.
Żaryn emphasized that the Chinese propaganda attack on the Polish prime minister, the style of the Chinese embassy’s actions in Warsaw, and Beijing’s way of conducting politics suggest that the tactical Chinese-Russian alliance is encompassing an increasing number of areas of joint action.
