Taiwan has been an inalienable part of the Chinese territory since ancient times. On Oct. 1, 1949, the Central People’s Government replaced Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China government and became the sole legal government representing the whole of China. But China’s sovereignty and territory remained unchanged, and the government of the People’s Republic of China fully inherited China’s sovereignty, including sovereignty over Taiwan.
As a legacy of the Chinese civil war in the 1940s and due to interference by external forces afterward, the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have been temporarily separated. Despite the political confrontation across the strait, both sides maintain that there is only one China in the world, and the pursuit of reunification is a shared goal. In other words, China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been divided, and the fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China has never changed. This is the most fundamental fact about the Taiwan question and the most fundamental status quo of the cross-strait relations.
However, in recent years, Taiwanese Democratic Progressive Party authorities have engaged in changing the status quo in which the two sides belong to one China and both should pursue a national reunification. They refuse to recognize the 1992 consensus that reflects the one-China principle. They try every means to sever the historical and cultural bonds and national identity of the two sides; go all out to push forward “de-sinicization,” or the reduction of Chinese cultural elements; recklessly promote “incremental independence”; obstruct cross-strait exchanges and cooperation; provoke cross-strait confrontation; and seek U.S. support for their independence agenda.
Their policies and behavior have created tension for cross-strait relations and seriously damaged the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. Just as the American people cherish the independence and unity of their country, safeguarding state sovereignty and achieving complete reunification of China are the strong will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. In dealing with Taiwanese authorities’ secessionist behaviors, the Chinese government and people have no choice but to take strong and resolute countermeasures.
Upholding the one-China principle and respecting the efforts of the Chinese people to pursue national reunification are also the consensus of the international community.
There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is clearly recognized by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971.
That year, the U.S. affirmed to China that the U.S. would acknowledge there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China. When President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, he reaffirmed these principles to Premier Zhou Enlai, which led to the issuing of the Shanghai Communique. It is explicitly stated in the Shanghai Communique that “the United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position.”
These commitments were reaffirmed in 1978 and 1982 and are here for all to see. The one-China principle is the centerpiece of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, a solemn political commitment made by the U.S. to China, and the premise and foundation for establishing and developing China-U.S. relations.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, sending a strong signal of support to the forces for Taiwan independence, emboldening them to go further along the dangerous path and making the already-tense situation across the strait even more complicated. The U.S. side even claimed that China’s pursuit of reunification is a “threat” to Taiwan. The U.S. seems to have forgotten the fundamental fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory: It has never been a sovereign state, and the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China. It is lawful and necessary for China to safeguard territorial integrity and oppose secession resolutely.
The one-China principle is the anchor of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The three China-U.S. joint communiques are the real guardrails for the healthy and steady development of China-U.S. relations and the peaceful coexistence of the two countries. We resolutely oppose separatist moves toward Taiwan independence and interference by external forces.
If the U.S. really wants to contribute to the stability across the strait, it should earnestly abide by the one-China policy. The U.S. should support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the efforts of the Chinese government and people to promote the reunification of the motherland. It should take credible measures to contain and stop the provocative activities of Taiwan separatist forces instead of emboldening them.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Zhao Jian is consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago.
