Editor's note: Pang Xinhua is a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

In the upcoming China-US summit, the Taiwan question remains the core and most pivotal issue on the agenda of the two countries. Looking back at decades of exchanges between China and the US, the Taiwan question has been unavoidable in every high-level meeting, serving as a touchstone that charts the trajectory of bilateral relations.

Currently, the situation across the Taiwan Strait is volatile and unpredictable. External interfering forces are colluding more closely with separatist elements on the island, repeatedly crossing red lines and stoking tensions. Only by reviewing the full context of the Taiwan question from a historical perspective, clarifying its legal sovereignty affiliation and identifying the root causes of regional unrest, can we truly understand China's unshakable principles and bottom line, make clear the historical commitments the US ought to abide by, and grasp the essential logic behind cross-Strait peace and stability as well as the steady long-term development of China-US relations.

Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times: Irrefutable evidence of sovereignty

Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times, backed by a millennium-long history of governance and solid legal grounds.

As early as the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Wu regime dispatched forces to govern Yizhou (ancient name for Taiwan), marking the start of official exchanges between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region. Continuous communication and jurisdiction prevailed through the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties. The Ming and Qing dynasties further implemented institutionalized governance over Taiwan. The Qing Dynasty successively established Taiwan Prefecture and upgraded it to Taiwan Province, integrating Taiwan into China's complete administrative system. The institutional governance, cultural integration and territorial demarcation across successive dynasties have forged an unassailable historical conclusion that Taiwan is an inherent part of China.

From the perspective of international law, the victory of World War II (WWII) established the international framework for Taiwan's return to China. The 1943 Cairo Declaration explicitly stipulated that all the territories seized by Japan, including Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, shall be restored to China. The 1945 Potsdam Proclamation reaffirmed the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration. These two landmark international documents form a key pillar of the post-WWII international order, legally and definitively affirming Taiwan's status as part of China.

The temporary cross-Strait separation emerging from the Chinese Civil War in 1949 is purely a historical legacy of China's internal affairs. History and international law fully prove that Taiwan is no disposable pawn in international politics, nor a bargaining chip in major-power games. No force has the right to trade or partition China's sovereignty.

The one-China principle: Fundamental cornerstone of China-US diplomatic establishment

The one-China principle is not only a universal consensus of the international community, but also the political cornerstone for the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties and the sound development of bilateral relations.

The three China-US joint communiques have constructed the institutional framework for bilateral relations, clearly defining the boundaries of US commitments on the Taiwan question. The Shanghai Communique acknowledged that Taiwan is part of China; the China-US Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations enshrined the one-China principle, with the US severing diplomatic relations, withdrawing troops and abrogating its defense treaty with Taiwan; the August 17 Communique pledged to gradually reduce and ultimately halt arms sales to Taiwan. Mutually complementary, the three communiques constitute an insurmountable political norm for China-US interactions.

For a long time, successive US administrations have verbally claimed to uphold the one-China principle, abide by the three communiques, refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs, oppose "Taiwan independence," and regulate arms sales to Taiwan.

A clear pattern emerges from the ups and downs of China-US relations over decades: Bilateral cooperation advances steadily when the US adheres to the one-China principle and honors its commitments; once it deliberately obscures the principle and crosses the cross-Strait red lines, China-US relations fall into turmoil and frictions escalate.

The one-China principle is the anchor of China-US relations; abandoning this cornerstone leaves no foundation for bilateral mutual trust and cooperation.

US use of the "Taiwan Card" emboldens separatism; fallacious "Taiwan Consensus" destabilizes the Taiwan Strait

Since the end of the Cold War, driven by hegemonic strategic considerations, the US has long pursued the strategy of containing China by leveraging Taiwan, gradually hollowing out and diluting the one-China principle, becoming the primary external source of cross-Strait tensions and unrest. The US has continuously broken its existing commitments: escalating arms sales to Taiwan with advanced weaponry, condoning frequent political visits by US politicians to the island, and strengthening official and military collusion between the US and Taiwan. Meanwhile, it hypes the Taiwan question on international occasions, attempts to expand Taiwan's so-called "international space," deliberately creates "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," and repeatedly challenges China's core interests.

At the same time, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on the island stubbornly cling to a separatist stance, refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus embodying the one-China principle, and deliberately concoct the so-called "Taiwan Consensus." Essentially a packaged disguise for "Taiwan independence" separatist propositions, this fallacy severs historical and cultural bonds across the Strait, promotes "de-sinicization" education and incremental Taiwan independence, and attempts to split the country by relying on external forces, severely eroding cross-Strait mutual trust and undermining cross-Strait peace.

The historical lessons are profound: repeated US bad faith and boundary-crossing, continuous manipulation of the Taiwan Card, coupled with the DPP's separatist acts, keep heightening military risks across the Taiwan Strait and intensifying China-US strategic confrontation. This not only harms the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, but also undermines peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Core national interests are inviolable; National reunification is inevitable

The Taiwan question lies at the core of China's core national interests, bearing on national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity. Reviewing the century-long journey of the Chinese nation, safeguarding territorial integrity and defending national sovereignty and reunification is an unwavering bottom line of the Chinese nation. No force can hold back China's reunification process.

China's position on the Taiwan question has always been consistent and firm: We firmly oppose all forms of "Taiwan independence" separatist acts, firmly resist external forces meddling in cross-Strait affairs under any pretext, and defend the country's core interests with unwavering resolve and formidable capability. Faced with the complex current situation, China remains committed to managing cross-Strait risks, upholding the overall framework of cross-Strait peace, and never allowing anyone or any force to split Taiwan from China. Amid the great trend of national rejuvenation, national reunification is not an optional choice, but an irreversible historical inevitability, and all separatist schemes are doomed to fail.

The tide of history surges forward relentlessly. The historical verdict that Taiwan belongs to China brooks no distortion, and the historical trend toward the complete reunification of the the Chinese nation is irreversible. Only by respecting the historical conclusion, abiding by the one-China principle, upholding the spirit of the three joint communiques, and abandoning the manipulation of the "Taiwan Card," can the US avoid strategic miscalculations and prevent conflict risks. Any act running counter to the tide of history or attempting to embolden separatism will not only sabotage the overall China-US relationship, but also endanger regional and global peace and stability, which will ultimately be abandoned by history.

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