The Maldivian government has issued an apology to China following a letter submitted by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to parliament, which mistakenly referred to China as the Republic of China or Taiwan. The letter had actually intended to request the replacement of the current ambassador to China.
The Pan-Green Coalition of the Republic of China (ROC) maintains that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state separate from mainland China. However, the official position of the Maldivian government aligns with the “One China Policy,” which recognises China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.
Chinese Ambassador to Maldives, Wang Lixin, took to Twitter to announce that the Maldives Foreign Ministry promptly explained the incident to Chinese officials and extended their apologies. The government also reaffirmed its commitment to upholding China’s “One China Policy,” as emphasized by Ambassador Wang.
While people familiar with the matter have stated that the Maldivian government’s swift apology and clarification aim to address any potential diplomatic strain caused by the unintended mention of the Republic of China or Taiwan, the foreign ministry has yet to provide an official comment regarding the miscommunication.