Q: Recently, Taiwan authorities’ so-called “Representative Office” in Hargeisa released a statement, denying Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, arguing that “Neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other, and China has never governed Taiwan for a second”. What is Chinese Embassy’s comment on this?

A: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the history and the reality. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. Eight decades ago, the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression put Taiwan back under China’s sovereign jurisdiction. Both the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, issued by major victorious nations of World War II, stated in explicit terms that Taiwan is a territory that Japan had stolen from the Chinese, and shall be restored to China. Japan also accepted the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation and announced its unconditional surrender. All these have confirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, and formed an important part of the post-war international order.

The UNGA Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971 with an overwhelming majority, decides to restore all the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China at the U.N. and expel forthwith the representatives of the Taiwan authorities from the U.N. and all the organizations related to it. Once and for all, this resolution resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the U.N., and precluded any possibility of creating “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.” This resolution is observed by the U.N. and its specialized agencies as evidenced by their reference to Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China.” which is the only reference to the Taiwan region in the U.N. It has been clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the U.N. Secretariat that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status.”

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. Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future. The one-China principle is a prevailing consensus in the international community, a basic norm governing international relations. Upholding one-China principle is the right thing to do and is where global opinion trends. The overwhelming majority of countries and international and regional organizations in the world stand firmly with the Chinese government and people, and support China’s just cause of opposing “Taiwan independence” and promoting reunification. Taiwan authorities have been engaging in separatist activities for “Taiwan independence” under various pretexts. No matter what they say or do, they cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China, nor can they stop the overriding historical trend toward China’s reunification. To go after “Taiwan independence” by seeking external support will surely end in failure.