The Chinese Foreign Ministry Monday stressed it is irresponsible to describe opposing the secession of "Taiwan independence" as changing the status quo in the Taiwan Straits when asked to comment on the recent Group of Seven (G7) remarks on the Taiwan question.
The G7 foreign ministers gathered on Sunday in the central Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. The meeting agreed that G7 countries were opposed to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo of Taiwan Straits by force and reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted: "If you are really concerned about the situation in the Taiwan Straits, you should first find out where the root cause of the tension in the Taiwan Strait lies."
The facts have shown that the "Taiwan independence" force on the island, with the connivance and support of external forces, are doing whatever they can to promote secessionist activities, which is destroying the status quo in the Taiwan Straits and is the root cause of tensions in the Taiwan Straits, Wang said.
Unequivocally upholding the one-China principle and rejecting "Taiwan independence" is a must in safeguarding stability in the Taiwan Straits and regional peace and tranquility, he added.
The spokesperson pointed out some said it supports the one-China policy but in action it was turning a blind eye to the separatist activities of "Taiwan independence" forces, condoning and supporting them, both overtly and covertly.
"This is deviating from, rather than practicing the one-China policy, and is undermining rather than maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits," he added and called such acts irresponsible.
Wang reiterated that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, adding this is the core essence of the one-China principle and the key to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.
The countries concerned should realize that the Taiwan question is an internal affair of China that does not allow any external interference, he noted.
In terms of the true status quo in the Taiwan Straits, Wang said although the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have not yet been reunified, the fact that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China has never changed and neither China's national sovereignty nor its territorial integrity has ever been divided.
Wang also said Taiwan's return to China is an important part of the post-WWII international order and called for safeguarding international order formed after World War II.