Taiwan, as part of China, does not have the right to become an Interpol member, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a media query about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' call for international support for Taiwan's inclusion in Interpol, from which the island has been excluded for decades. Interpol, an intergovernmental organization for police cooperation in combating crime, has 196 member countries, each hosting a National Central Bureau.
The participation of the Taiwan region in activities of international organizations must be in accordance with the one-China principle. China's position on the issue is consistent and clear, Zhu said.
"Taiwan, as part of China, has no right to join the Interpol. China and Interpol have already made proper arrangements for the Taiwan region to participate in cooperation and activities under the Interpol framework. Police authorities in the Taiwan region have unimpeded channels for information sharing and cooperation on cases with Interpol National Central Bureaus in all member countries. The DPP authorities have been trying to deceive people on the island through repeated political manipulation over Taiwan's participation in international organizations, but their attempts to seek Taiwan secession via provocations will inevitably fail," she said.
Taiwan has no right to join Interpol: spokeswoman
Teams competing in the climbing event on Mount Tai in Tai'an City of east China's Shandong Province took the race as a valuable real-world testing ground to evaluate their robots' power, balance and autonomous perception capability.
The inaugural China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Mount Tai Challenge on Monday drew nearly 90 teams. The competition was divided into two main categories of speed races and specialized events, with five events in total for different robot forms, including humanoid, quadruped, and exoskeleton.
Competitors tackled the 3.9-kilometer ancient stone path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen -- ascending more than 3,100 steps with an elevation gain of nearly 640 meters, while the morning mist and moss added extra layers of difficulty.
A humanoid robot developed by VSISLAB of Shandong University's School of Control Science and Engineering struggled at the start on the rugged terrain.
"At the beginning, there is a very steep section, which narrows to just 18 or 19 centimeters in width at its tightest point. The robot made two attempts to pass it, and it did not fall over," said Li Zhongzheng, a student of the university.
The team successfully finished the race and placed eighth.
The Beijing Lingyi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, won the quadruped robot speed race. Its robots completed the demanding climb with a steady, mechanical ascent over uneven steps, stone ridges and narrow mountain paths.
"We have four robotic dogs in the competition. They secured both the first and second place in the racing event, as well as the second place in the weight-carrying event," said Chen Xiyun, leader of the Beijing Lingyi Technology Team.
For many participants, the event provided a rare opportunity to test their models in real-world scenarios, enabling products to improve more quickly than through laboratory trials alone.
"From a technical standpoint, there are many goals for us to pursue. I hope our team can continue to climb higher, step by step, just as the robots did during this competition," said Wang Jian, engineer of the Norinco Intelligent Innovation Research Institute (Shenzhen) Company.
Robots test their limits at Mount Tai climbing competition
