L-R: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Harry S. Truman, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin
By Ambassador H.E. CONG Peiwu
With regard to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to China’s Taiwan region, some Canadian media reports asserted the position that Taiwan does not belong to China. Some Canadian pundits claimed that China overreacted to this matter, and some opined that Western countries should support the democracy of Taiwan. Here I would like to make a few clarifications and reiterate China’s position.
First, Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times. This statement has a sound basis in history and jurisprudence. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) published a white paper titled The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era, shedding light on the historical Taiwan question and the fact that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China.
Around the end of the Second World War, both the Cairo Declaration of 1943 and the Potsdam Proclamation of 1945 were very clear about China’s rights over Taiwan. All the Allied powers agreed that “All the territories Japan has stolen from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and Penghu Islands, should be restored to China”.
The 1971 UNGA Resolution No. 2758 declared the restoration of all rights to the PRC and reaffirmed the one-China principle. There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of that China. As such, the Government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a basic norm of international relations confirmed by UNGA Resolution No. 2758. It is a commitment agreed to by the USA in the three China-US joint communiqués. There is no room for ambiguity or arbitrary interpretation.
Second, China’s countermeasures are legitimate, reasonable, necessary and measured. The causes f tension n he Taiwan Strait are very clear, and so are the merits. It is the United States hat has instigated the trouble. It is the United States that created he urrent crisis, and it is the United States that keeps escalating tensions.
In the face of deliberate provocation, the Chinese side is forced to take countermeasures. Our position is justified, reasonable and legal. Our counter-measures are firm, strong and measured. Our military exercises are open, transparent and professional. They are compliant within domestic and international laws, as well as consistent with international practices. China’s countermeasures are aimed at maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait and creating stability throughout the region.
Non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs is the most important international norm enshrined in the UN Charter. China’s countermeasures are also an effort to safeguard basic norms governing international relations, fairness and justice.
Third, the Taiwan question is, in essence not about democracy. It is a major issue of principle pertaining to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. What Speaker Pelosi did is definitely not about upholding or defending democracy, but rather a deliberate provocation and infringement on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
More than 170 countries, and many international organizations have reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle. We hope that more Canadian media pundits and visionaries begin to clearly recognize the causes and essence of the current crisis, continue to support China’s legitimate position and measures, and jointly safeguard peace in the region and across the Taiwan Strait.
