Press Release, 25.08.2022

Photo: Alexander Gnezdilov and Keng Chung-Yung/ Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Alexander Gnezdilov, a member of the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko Party, met with Keng Chung-Yung, head of Taiwan’s Representative Office in Russia. The meeting was initiated by the Taiwanese side, and the reason for it was Alexander Gnezdilov’s article “Why does Taiwan matter?”, published on the Yabloko web-site in early August. The text was dedicated to the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, to Taipei, which was widely discussed around the world.

After Nancy Pelosi’s visit, both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the pro-Kremlin political parties (United Russia, and a Just Russia for Truth) expectedly fully supported the position of the Communist Party of China. However, Alexander Gnezdilov, a member of the Yabloko Political Committee, called in his article for a more responsible and comprehensive consideration of the situation, taking into account both the history of the issue (Taiwan has not been under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party for a single day), and, for example, the democratic legitimacy of the island’s authorities (which the Beijing regime does not have).

At the beginning of the meeting with Gnezdilov, the diplomatic representative of the Republic of China (the official name of Taiwan) noted the depth of understanding of the problems of relations between Taipei and Beijing in the 20th and 21st centuries and thanked Gnezdilov for the balanced approach outlined in the article.

During the lively and detailed dialogue, which was also attended by representatives of the Taiwan mission responsible for culture and media, a wide range of issues was discussed: from the current situation in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait to the cultural and economic ties between Russia and Taiwan.

Alexander Gnezdilov, in particular, spoke about the official position of the Yabloko party in relation to the hostilities in Ukraine and stressed that Russian social liberals consistently stand for peace, respect for human rights and freedom of people both in Eastern Europe and in East Asia.

Basing on the results of the dialogue, the parties agreed to continue their contacts.