The one-China principle must not be challenged

Editor's note: Xu Xiaoquan, a special commentator for CGTN, is a researcher from the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Recently, during his transit visit to China's Taiwan region, the President of Paraguay claimed that the friendship between Paraguay and Taiwan is built on a solid foundation of elements such as "democracy and freedom," going far beyond a formal "diplomatic relationship." According to media reports, the President of Honduras also stated in an interview that he is considering whether to restore the "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities. This is a farce staged by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to rope in politicians from a handful of countries for political manipulation, in an attempt to expand the so-called "international space" and pursue "Taiwan independence" separatism. Such acts are essentially an open violation of the one-China principle and run completely counter to the consensus of the international community and the general trend of historical development.

The Taiwan question lies at the core of China's core interests and represents an inviolable red line of principle

Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times. In 1895, Japan forcibly seized Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After 50 years of colonial rule, Taiwan returned to the embrace of the motherland in 1945 with the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

On October 1, 1949, the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China was founded and became the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. This was an internal change in political power in China, and the Government of the People's Republic of China naturally enjoys and exercises full sovereignty over the entire territory of China, including sovereignty over Taiwan. In 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all rights of the People's Republic of China, recognize the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China in the United Nations, and expel the representatives of the Taiwan region from the United Nations and all its affiliated agencies.

Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly has completely resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China in the United Nations at the political, legal, and procedural levels. It established the legal fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, thoroughly blocked the possibility of Taiwan's "independence" from the perspective of international law and practice, and stands as a landmark legal document for the formation of the one-China principle in the international community.

Paraguay is the only country in South America that still maintains the so-called "diplomatic ties" with the Taiwan authorities, and one of Taiwan's remaining 12 so-called "diplomatic allies." For a long time, Taiwan authorities have relied on "dollar diplomacy" to court and buy over countries, including Paraguay. Lai Ching-te invited the Paraguayan leader to transit Taiwan, attempting to flaunt his so-called capability of "expanding international space" to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and swing voters on the island with false "foreign affairs achievements," so as to deceive public opinion and consolidate his own political base.

The Taiwan question is the core of China's core interests and an insurmountable bottom line of principle. The Chinese mainland will always firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No matter how the DPP authorities collude with external forces and deliberately stir up separatist troubles, they can never change the established fact that Taiwan is part of China, shake the basic cross-strait landscape, or hold back the irreversible historical trend of eventual cross-strait reunification. The Chinese Government firmly opposes any country establishing so-called "diplomatic relations" or maintaining any form of official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities. If a small number of countries act arbitrarily, they are blatantly interfering in China's internal affairs and challenging the bottom line of China's core interests.

The one-China principle is a basic norm of international relations, a universal consensus of the international community, and an unshakable historical trend

Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is a basic norm enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the cornerstone of modern international law and international relations, and a fundamental political prerequisite for China to establish and develop diplomatic relations with all countries worldwide. All countries around the world have established and developed diplomatic relations with China on the basis of abiding by the one-China principle.

To date, 183 countries worldwide have established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China while adhering to the one-China principle, and all have solemnly pledged to uphold the one-China position in bilateral communiqués on the establishment of diplomatic ties. The vast majority of countries in the international community firmly support the just cause of the Chinese Government and people in opposing "Taiwan independence" and advancing national reunification.

Since the DPP returned to power in 2016, it has clung stubbornly to its separatist stance of "Taiwan independence" and resorted to despicable acts such as monetary inducement, political wooing, rumor-mongering, and smearing internationally, attempting to undermine the basic landscape of the international community's universal adherence to the one-China principle. In April, Lai Ching-te attempted to visit Eswatini in Africa under the illegal guise of the "President of the Republic of China," only to be denied overflight rights by multiple countries. This fact fully proves that the one-China principle has become a universal consensus of the international community.

Later, Lai Ching-te made a clumsy attempt to stage a publicity visit to Eswatini by taking the private plane of the King of Eswatini in a "stealth visit" manner. Such underhanded and disgraceful behavior has become a laughingstock of the international community. Now, the DPP authorities have once again insisted on colluding with external forces such as Paraguay to provoke trouble and openly trample on the bottom line of the one-China principle, fully exposing that the retrograde "Taiwan independence" separatist forces have reached a dead end.

On March 25, 2023, Honduras announced the severance of so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities, and officially established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China the next day. In the China-Honduras joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic ties, Honduras explicitly recognized that there is only one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. It also pledged never to conduct any official exchanges or maintain official relations with Taiwan.

If the erroneous remarks by the President of Honduras on plans to restore so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan are true and put into practice, it will not only violate the principle of China-Honduras diplomatic ties, but also seriously cross the red line of China's core interests, and blatantly run counter to the unshakable historical trend. We warn individual countries to objectively recognize historical trends, keep pace with the times, refrain from blindly challenging the basic norms of international relations and the universal consensus of the international community, and never become vassals or accomplices of the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

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