BEIJING, January 15. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities highly appreciate Russia's position on the past weekend’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan, as outlined by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said.

"We highly appreciate the statement of the Russian side," she emphasized at a briefing, responding to a Chinese journalist's question about Zakharova's statement.

Mao specified that many other countries and international organizations expressed solidarity with Russia. In particular, she mentioned Bangladesh, Belarus, Hungary, Cambodia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Laos, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Arab League. "They have openly declared their adherence to the 'One China' principle and firmly support the country's efforts to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.

Zakharova said on Saturday that attempts by a number of countries to use the Taiwanese election to pressure Beijing and "sway" the situation in the region are counterproductive and should be condemned. She called on all external forces to refrain from provocative actions.

Taiwan held elections for its local chief executive and members of the Legislative Yuan (parliament) on Saturday. The candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, incumbent Vice President Lai Ching-te, won the presidential election with 40.05% of the vote, after the two opposition parties conceded defeat.

Taiwan has been governed by its own local administration since 1949, when remnants of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after being defeated in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taipei has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists came to power. According to Beijing's official position, which is supported by most countries, including Russia, Taiwan is one of China’s provinces.