Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov Photo: VCG

Russia opposes "Taiwan independence" in any form, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with TASS on Sunday. He also noted that Japan has assumed an accelerated course toward militarization and Moscow advises Tokyo to "weigh up" possible consequences before resorting to any sudden decisions.

Russia's principled position on the Taiwan question is well known, consistent, and has been repeatedly reaffirmed at the highest level. The Russian side recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and opposes any form of the island's independence, Lavrov said in the interview.

The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, said the minister, noting that China has full legitimate grounds for safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In the interview, Lavrov also noted that Japan has assumed an accelerated course toward militarization and Moscow advises Tokyo to "weigh up" possible consequences before resorting to any sudden decisions.

"Recently the Japanese leadership has been seeking to accelerate the country's militarization," Lavrov stated. "The detrimental influence of such an approach on the regional stability is obvious."

"Our Japanese neighbors should have weighted everything properly before taking any hasty decisions," he added, according to TASS. 

TASS wrote that Lavrov stressed that Russia is concerned about Japan's remilitarization, a trend that could lead to the dismantling of the current global security architecture.

Global Times