President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan, in a recent interview with local media, challenged China’s assertions of territorial integrity regarding Taiwan, suggesting that if such claims were genuine, China should also seek to reclaim lands ceded to Russia in the 19th century.

Lai referenced the 1858 Treaty of Aigun, which transferred a vast area of China’s far east to the Russian Empire, forming much of the current border along the Amur River. This treaty, later affirmed by the Convention of Peking in 1860, is considered one of the “unequal treaties” imposed on China during that period.

“If it is for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t [China] take back the lands occupied by Russia that were signed over in the Treaty of Aigun? Russia is now at its weakest, right?” Lai questioned.

The Taiwanese leader argued that China’s intentions toward Taiwan are not driven by territorial concerns but rather by a desire to alter the international order and achieve regional hegemony in the Western Pacific.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan’s government, however, maintains that only the island’s people can determine its future.

Lai, whom China labels a “separatist,” also highlighted the historical context of Taiwan’s status, mentioning its cession to Japan in 1895 and subsequent handover to the Republic of China government in 1945.

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The Chinese government has not yet responded to Lai’s comments. 

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