The U.S. needs to know that the Taiwan question is purely an internal matter for China, one which
brooks no external interference. No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability
of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Recently, certain U.S. politicians have continuously hyped Taiwan’s participation in the United
Nations (UN) and other international organizations and, in total disregard of facts, falsely accused
China of threatening regional peace and stability.
Relevant remarks and acts of the U.S. have seriously violated the one-China principle and the
provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, breached its own promises, and betrayed
the basic norms governing international relations.
By doing so, the U.S. side is sending gravely wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” forces
and pushing the China-U.S. relations toward confrontation.
While claiming that they uphold the one-China policy, certain U.S. politicians have tried to
disguise their unreasonable challenge to the policy as a matter of values and a practical issue by
distorting concepts and confusing the public.
Although these politicians have racked their brains to choose the words, they couldn’t change and
conceal the nature of the problem and their true motives.
Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has long been ridiculously clamoring for
Taiwan’s so-called “representation” in international organizations and “international space,” which
is, in essence, seeking “Taiwan independence.”
By backing up Taiwan in this regard, the U.S. side has sent gravely wrong signals to the “Taiwan
independence” forces.
The participation of the Taiwan region in activities of international organizations must be handled
in accordance with the one-China principle.
Resolution 2758 adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has solved once and for all the
issue of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s representation in the UN in political, legal, and
procedural terms. The system, agencies, and the Secretariat of the UN should abide by the one-
China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758 when dealing with Taiwan-related affairs.
A total of 180 countries in the world, including the U.S., have established diplomatic relations
with China based on the one-China principle. As a global consensus and one of the universally
recognized basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle allows no
unilateral challenge or distortion by the U.S.
Fifty years ago, the attempt of the U.S. to create “one China, one Taiwan” or “two Chinas” at the
UN failed. Today, the country is peddling the so-called “Taiwan’s participation in the UN system”
again, trying to turn back the wheels of history. However, standing on the opposite side of the vast
majority of countries globally, the U.S. is bound to face another failure.
The Taiwan question, which concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and other core
interests, is the most critical and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The one-China principle is
the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.
The U.S. side has been clear about China’s firm stand on the Taiwan question and has made
promises on the issue. In the three China-U.S. joint communiques, the U.S. unequivocally
recognizes the Government of the PRC as the sole legal government of China, acknowledges the
Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China and agrees that within this
context, the people of the U.S. will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations
with the people of Taiwan.
The U.S. government has repeatedly affirmed the position that it “doesn’t believe that Taiwan
should be a member in any organization for which statehood is a requirement.” Recently, U.S.
officials have also made clear that the U.S. side has no intention of changing the one-China policy
and the current situation of the Taiwan Strait.
However, the reality is that the U.S. side frequently stirs up troubles in the Taiwan Strait. From
intensifying official exchanges and military contacts with Taiwan and inciting certain countries to
make provocations on the Taiwan question to frequently hyping the idea of “Taiwan’s
participation in the UN system,” the U.S. has reneged on its promises.
China has made firm and necessary responses to the U.S. side’s wrongful remarks on the Taiwan
question and relevant deeds.
At present, the policy adopted by the U.S. toward China has plunged China-U.S. relations into
deep trouble. To lead the relations between the two countries back to the right track, the U.S. must
make the right choices and adopt reasonable and practical China policy.
The Taiwan question is at the very core of China-U.S. relations. Should the U.S. side continue
playing the “Taiwan card,” it would not only make barriers for the ease of tension between the two
countries, but also inevitably pose seismic risks to China-U.S. relations, seriously undermine
peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and gravely harm the interests of the U.S. itself.
The trend of the world is surging forward. Those who follow the trend will prosper, and those who
go against it will perish. To achieve complete national reunification is a trend of history and a
common aspiration of all Chinese.
We firmly oppose the “Taiwan independence” and external intervention and will resolutely
safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We sternly warn the U.S. that it must
keep its promises on the Taiwan question, proceed with caution, practically adhere to the one-
China principle and the three joint communiques, and abide by UNGA Resolution 2758.
Besides, it must stop making irresponsible and erroneous remarks, stop helping Taiwan expand the
so-called “international space,” avoid sending erroneous signals to “Taiwan independence” forces,
and safeguard the political foundation of China-U.S. relations through concrete actions.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy
and international affairs.)
