Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai has pushed back against Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that returning to China is not a option for his nation.
Xi brought up sovereignty over Taiwan during a recent call with President Donald Trump, telling his United States counterpart that a “return to China” from Taiwan is critical to international order.
Beijing has offered Taiwan a model of “one country, two systems”, which has been rejected by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and all of Taiwan's major political parties.
Following the call between Washington and Xi, that stance was reaffirmed by Premier Cho, speaking to the press outside of parliament.
“We must once again emphasise that the Republic of China, Taiwan, is a fully sovereign and independent country,” he said.
