With regard to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region, the Chinese Embassy in Israel immediately elucidated China’s solemn stance of firm opposition and strong condemnation to Israeli media and friends of all sectors, and shared information about a series of measures taken by the Chinese side. In light of the feedback from Israeli media and friends, we hereby further respond to related questions as follows:
Q: What is the reason behind China’s strong reaction against Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan?
A: On 2 August, 2022, in disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence”. China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States.
This incident is orchestrated and provoked entirely by the U.S. side. The causes and the merits are crystal clear. The Chinese side has made maximum diplomatic efforts to avoid this crisis which is imposed on China. Nonetheless, we will never allow any damage to China's core interests and national rejuvenation; we will never sit idly by while the U.S. plays the "Taiwan card" to serve its domestic politics and the selfish ambitions of its politicians; and we will never condone any attempt to create tensions, stoke confrontation and instigate division in the region.
Q: Now that more people start to pay attention to the Taiwan question, could you further elaborate on the historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question?
A: One must know China’s history before he/she gets to understand the Taiwan question. As a province of China, Taiwan lies in southeast China, consisting of China’s largest island, i.e. the Taiwan island, and its surrounding offshore islands. The Chinese people’s early development of Taiwan was recorded in ancient Chinese books written 1,700 years ago. In the mid-12th century, China established administrative institutions in Taiwan and had stationed troops guarding the place. In 1885, Taiwan was declared a province by the Qing dynasty. Later, Japan stole Taiwan after the First Sino-Japanese War that broke out in 1894. In 1931, the Chinese people began the 14-year-long War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was also part of the World Anti-Fascist War. On December 1, 1943, China, the United States and the United Kingdom signed the Cairo Declaration. As the Declaration states, it is the three countries’ purpose that “Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has seized or occupied since the beginning of the first World War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan), and The Pescadores, shall be restored to China”. The Potsdam Proclamation signed in 1945 reaffirmed that “the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out”. In the same year, Taiwan returned to the motherland as the Chinese people achieved the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. But shortly after that, due to the civil war in China and foreign interference, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait encountered political discord, a special status that has been lasting for the ensuing 70-plus years. However, the fact that Taiwan and China’s mainland belong to one and the same China has not changed and will never change.
One can easily find out that the historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question are crystal-clear, so as the facts and status quo that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. 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 has been clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, 181 countries, including the U.S., have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. The one-China principle has become a universally recognized norm governing international relations, a shared understanding of the international community, and a political basis for China to develop relations with other countries. The Taiwan question is purely a matter of China’s internal affairs and allows no external interference.
Q: The U.S. side claimed that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan “doesn’t violate the U.S.’ one-China policy”, and urged China to avoid “escalating tensions”. What’s your comment on this?
A: By making these remarks, the U.S. side is simply trying to say anything to explain the visit away. They have even put the blame on us like a thief crying “Stop thief!”. The causes of the tensions in the Taiwan Strait are very clear, so are the merits. It is the United States that stirred up the trouble; it is the United States that created the crisis; and it is also the United States that kept escalating tensions. The U.S. side colluded with those in Taiwan and made provocations first, whereas China has been compelled to act in self-defense.
In 1979, the United States made a clear commitment in the China-U.S. Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations—“The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.” Congress, as a part of the U.S. Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the U.S. Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China’s Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by U.S. congressional members, and the U.S. executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this.
The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, go all out to push forward “de-sinicization”, and promote “incremental independence”. The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens “Taiwan independence” separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it.
The comprehensive measures taken by China now and in the future are necessary and timely counteractions for defense. Taken after cautious consideration and careful evaluation, these measures are aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and security and consistent with international and domestic laws. They are a warning to the provocateurs and a safeguard for regional stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait. All parties should clearly recognize the causes and essence of the current crisis, jointly oppose the U.S.’ adventurism and provocations, continue to support China's legitimate position and measures, and jointly safeguard peace in the region and across the Taiwan Strait.
Q: China is taking a series of countermeasures. Will there be more and what will follow?
A: The position of the Chinese Government and people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm commitment of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the common aspiration and sacred responsibility of all Chinese sons and daughters to realize the complete reunification of the motherland. The will of the people is not to be defied, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed. No country, no forces and no individual should ever misestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese Government and people to defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker’s visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.