Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs took to X, formerly Twitter, to respond to comments made by Elon Musk regarding the self-governed territory and its status concerning China.

What Happened: During a virtual appearance on the All-In Podcast, the tech billionaire compared Taiwan to Hawaii, calling it “an integral part of China that is arbitrarily not part of China.” 

In response, the official Twitter account of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted, “Hope @elonmusk can also ask the #CCP to open @X to its people.” 

The post went on to say that perhaps Musk thinks “banning is a good policy,” like turning off Starlink during the Ukraine-Russia conflict and emphasizing that Taiwan is neither part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) nor for sale.

Musk has previously said that he did not disable the network, but instead, it was not turned on when requested.

See Also: Elon Musk Opens Up About How He Feels About Acquiring Twitter For $44B

During the podcast, Musk stated that as an outsider, he understands China well and highlighted Tesla’s success in the country. 

He also raised concerns about the escalating military situation in Taiwan and noted that if diplomatic solutions fail, there might be a forceful effort by China to incorporate Taiwan into its territory. “Both China and the U.S. are preparing for a potential showdown in the South China state.” 

The tech mogul also mentioned growing restrictions on the export of U.S. technology to China and anticipated reciprocal sanctions between the two nations. “That’s why you’re seeing increasing restrictions on the export of U.S. technology to China, such as the Nvidia H100.” 

Why It’s Important: Last month, it was reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping might consider launching an invasion to reclaim Taiwan, a self-governed island that China asserts its sovereignty over, by 2024.

Former U.S. intelligence director and rear admiral Mike Studeman has also warned of the potentially “devastating” consequences of China instigating conflict in the Taiwan Strait. 

Photo courtesy: Thomas Hawk on Flickr

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