India denies any shift on Taiwan after China’s readout; says ties with Taipei remain economic, tech, and cultural

New Delhi (India) August 20: Beijing asserts that India reaffirms Taiwan's membership in China as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visits Wang Yi. He is the foreign minister of China. The meetings happen in New Delhi on Tuesday for boundary talks.

The 24th round of talks between Doval and Wang takes place the day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets with his Beijing counterpart. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry Statement 

According to a press release from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jaishankar tells Wang that both nations will benefit from a stable, cooperative, and forward-looking partnership. The external affairs minister was also quoted as saying to his counterpart that Taiwan was regarded by India as belonging to China.

The statement says, “Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that under the joint guidance of leaders of both countries, India-China relations have moved from the bottom and are continuously improving and developing, with exchanges and cooperation between the two sides across various fields moving toward normalisation. Stable, cooperative, and forward-looking India-China relations serve the interests of both countries. Taiwan is part of China.”

India rejects China's claim of changed Taiwan stance

However, according to a source in New Delhi, India has not changed its stance on Taiwan. Jaishankar informs Wang that New Delhi repeats its "One-China" policy in its joint statements with Beijing. He also says that India, like the rest of the world, has a relationship with Taiwan that is centered on economic, cultural and technological links.

A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, India says that the Chinese side raises the issue of Taiwan. The Ministry points that, “The Indian side underlined that there was no change in its position on this issue.” 

The statement also adds, “It pointed out that, like the rest of the world, India had a relationship with Taiwan that focuses on economic, technological and cultural ties and that this would continue.” 

In an otherwise fruitful two-day visit to India, the disagreements over the remark mark a sour note. It happens ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's August 31, 2025 trip to China. This trip is to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin.

Taiwan ties limited to business and culture

The Taiwan government maintains the Taipei Commercial and Cultural Center in Delhi. But India does not recognize Taiwan as the "Republic of China." Yet it has a representation mission in Taipei that works to coordinate cultural and commercial ties. 

Although India initially agreed with the "One China policy." It gives the People's Republic of China all of China. But India refrains from making this clear since 2010.

This is in protest to China's decision to provide "stapled visas" to Indians from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. They say that these were disputed regions. 

Despite demands from the Chinese government, the policy persists after the Narendra Modi government took office in 2014. Officials claim that former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj even advised her Chinese colleague. She said that if China wants India's support, it should also respect the "One India policy."