Amid the growing disconcert by the Chinese side over the exchange of greetings between PM Modi and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, with the latter extending greetings to the Indian Prime Minister for the victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the US State Department said such congratulatory messages are part of diplomatic business.
Responding to a question over China's coercive approach over the top leadership from India and China exchanging greetings, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "I haven't seen those specific reports, so I don't want to comment on them in details, but I would say that such congratulatory messages are the normal course of diplomatic business."
It is pertinent to note that China has lodged a protest with India over PM Modi's remarks, which came in response to congratulatory greetings from Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on his election victory.
In a statement released earlier, the Taiwanese President said, "My sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his election victory. We look forward to enhancing the fast-growing Taiwan-India partnership and expanding our collaboration in trade, technology, and other sectors to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific."
Replying to the message, PM Modi has said, "Thank you, President Lai Ching-te, for your warm message. I look forward to closer ties as we work towards mutually beneficial economic and technological partnerships."
China irked over India-Taiwan exchange
Meanwhile, amid the diplomatic exchange between India and Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning lodged a protest with India while insisting that New Delhi should resist Taiwan's authorities' "political calculations."
"First of all, there is no president in the Taiwan region. There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China," she said.
"On this question, China opposes all forms of official interactions between Taiwan authorities and countries having diplomatic relations with China," she added.
Meanwhile, during the presser, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also emphasized that the One China principle is a universally recognized norm in international relations and the prevailing consensus."India has made serious political commitments and should resist the Taiwan authorities' political calculations," she added.
Significantly, India has so far not responded or released any official statement to the comments by the Chinese side.
