Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

The Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned some personnel of the island of Taiwan who degraded themselves and were willing to become followers of another country in an attempt to attend the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference, saying they can only bring disgrace on themselves.

The remarks were made after the foreign minister of Tuvalu pulled out of the UN Ocean Conference opening in Portugal on Monday after China blocked the participation of three people from Taiwan region included in the tiny Pacific island nation's delegation list, according to Radio New Zealand. 

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a press conference on Monday. Zhao reiterated that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

The one-China principle is a consensus of the international community and basic norm governing international relations, and is also a fundamental principle confirmed in UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, Zhao stressed.

The authorities on the island of Taiwan have been adopting such tactics in the international arena, Zhao pointed out. Some Taiwan regional personnel have degraded themselves and were willing to become another country's followers in an attempt to participate in the UN Ocean Conference, which is doomed to bring disgrace on themselves, Zhao said.

China follows true multilateralism and supports all parties in participating in the UN Ocean Conference in accordance with laws and regulations, Zhao noted.

Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe withdrew from the conference after China challenged the accreditation of three "delegates" from Taiwan region included in Tuvalu's delegation, Radio New Zealand reported on Monday.

The small Pacific island nation of 12,000 people has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 1979, and is one of just 14 states around the world that continue to have "diplomatic relations" with the island of Taiwan, Reuters reported on Monday.

Li Fei, a professor from the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday that the isolation and anxiety of the authorities in the island of Taiwan have been exposed in this latest move.

As the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan island have not been recognized and supported by the international community, they have been trying very hard to take every opportunity to show up on various platforms in the international community, but their efforts have always been in vain, Li pointed out.

While noting the so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan region was based on "dollar diplomacy" by the DPP authorities and supported by the US, the expert believes that the number of nations that have "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan region will only decrease.

This time, authorities in Taiwan island together with the tiny Pacific island nation have made another poor stage show in the international community trying to ride the wave of the popularity of the UN Ocean Conference, Li said.

According to the report by Reuters, Kofe grabbed global attention for his nation last year when he addressed a global climate conference standing ankle deep in the sea to illustrate Tuvalu was "sinking." Forty percent of the capital district is underwater at high tide, and the tiny country is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century, said the report.