Taiwan delegation in India; criticises One China policy

Taiwan has been hit hard by the One China policy but it has crafted a pragmatic approach in deepening engagement with major powers including India, a visiting Taiwanese parliamentary delegation said today.
The three-member delegation arrived here yesterday on a three-day visit, which may ruffle feathers in China as it considers 'One China' policy a cornerstone of its diplomatic engagement.
Seeking deeper ties with India, leader of the delegation Kuan Bi-Ling asserted that Taiwan was "totally independent" despite some countries refusing to recognise it.
The One China policy states that there is only one Chinese government and that the island of Taiwan is a breakaway province that belongs to China.

"It is a de-facto reality... We suffered a lot because of the One China Policy. We have crafted a pragmatic approach in our diplomatic engagement with major countries including India despite these difficulties," Kuan told reporters.
Calling India a major global power, she said Taiwan will make its ties with India as important as its relations with Japan and added there was huge scope for expanding cooperation in diverse areas including in areas of economy, politics and national security.

She said Taiwan was interested in India's India's Smart Cities project and Make in India programme.
Another Taiwanese official said his country want India to upgrade Taiwan representative's office here as a "mission" like what Japan did.

Kuan said the delegation members will apprise the Indian leaders in the next couple of days Taiwan government's priorities and its new foreign policy called New Southbound Policy under which it plans to engage with South Asian nations, including India, more vigorously.
The delegation members also visited the Parliament House.