On April 20, 2023, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong made serious démarches as instructed to Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to China Chung Jae-ho on the ROK leader's wrong words on the Taiwan question.

Sun Weidong noted that President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a recent interview that "tensions across the Taiwan Strait were caused by attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force". "The ROK together with the international community absolutely oppose" the change of status quo by force. "The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue that goes beyond the regional level." These words are totally unacceptable, and give the Chinese side grave concerns and strong dissatisfaction.

Sun Weidong pointed out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair at the core of China's core interests. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people, and allows no interference by any forces in the Taiwan question. The fundamental cause of tension across the Taiwan Strait is the "Taiwan independence" forces on the island engaging in separatist activities with the support and connivance of foreign forces. The ROK leader did not say a single word about the one-China principle, but drew an analogy between the Taiwan question and the Korean Peninsula issue. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the ROK are both sovereign countries and members of the UN. The Korean Peninsula issue and the Taiwan question are completely different in nature, cause and history and cannot be mentioned in the same breath. This is a universally known fact. China urges the ROK side to earnestly follow the spirit of the China-ROK Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, abide by the one-China principle, and be prudent in words and deeds on the Taiwan question.

Chung Jae-ho said that the ROK always respects the one-China principle and this position remains unchanged.