Taiwan's foreign ministry is pushing back hard against a China-Gabon joint statement, calling it a distortion of facts and a threat to the region, not actual news that changes anything on the ground.

• China and Gabon issued a joint statement in which Gabon reaffirmed the "one China" position and endorsed China's reading of a UN resolution on Taiwan's status.
• Taiwan's foreign ministry condemned the statement as false and said China is using bilateral meetings to pressure other countries into backing its claims over Taiwan.
• Taiwan insists it is a sovereign state separate from China, that Beijing has never ruled Taiwan, and that no joint statement can change that reality.
• The ministry also warned Gabon to stay neutral and not get used as a tool in China's political pressure campaign.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep issuing similar rebuttals as China continues signing statements with other countries that reference the "one China" principle.