Recently, China made clear its firm opposition to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region and took corresponding countermeasures. Having been asked by Israeli friends on multiple occasions, I hereby elaborate on three key facts about the Taiwan question.
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First, the one-China principle is the consensus of the international community and a basic norm governing international relations. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. This statement has a sound basis both in history and jurisprudence. The Chinese people's early development of Taiwan was noted in ancient Chinese history records written over 1,700 years ago. In the 12th century, China established administrative institutions in Taiwan. In 1885, Taiwan was declared a province by the Qing dynasty. In 1895, Japan forced the Qing government to cede Taiwan after its war of aggression against China. Close to the end of the Second World War, the Cairo Declaration released in 1943 clearly stipulated that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, including Taiwan and Penghu Islands, should be restored to China, and the Potsdam Proclamation of 1945 reiterated the term. In 1971, the UNGA Resolution 2758 emphasized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the entirety of China. It was clearly stated in the UN official legal opinions that "the United Nations considers 'Taiwan' as a province of China with no separate status", and the "'authorities' in 'Taipei' are not considered to... enjoy any form of government status". The one-China principle is the prerequisite and political basis for China to develop relations with all other countries. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, a total of 181 countries have established diplomatic ties with China on the basis of this principle. Although Taiwan and the mainland have not yet been reunified, the sovereignty and territory of China have never been divided, and Taiwan's status as part of China's territory has never changed. The Taiwan question is purely a matter of China's internal affairs and allows no external interference.
Second, it is not China that is responsible for changing the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has never been a country. There is only one China in the world. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. This has been the status quo of Taiwan since ancient times. The China-US Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations in 1979 stressed that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal Government of China and that Taiwan is part of China. The status quo across the Taiwan Strait, having been established for decades, is indeed broken, not by China, but by the US and the separatist forces in Taiwan. In 2000, the US put its so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" before the three China-US joint communiqués. A couple of years ago, the US inserted the so-called "Six Assurances to Taiwan", something it had long kept secret, into the formulation of its one-China policy. Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in Taiwan, it has continuously sought "incremental independence", pushed forward "de-sinicization", and attempted to create the false impression of "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" whenever it had the chance. These moves blatantly challenged and hollowed out the one-China principle, and it is natural that China responds. Our position is justified, reasonable, and lawful. Our measures are firm, strong and proportionate. Our military exercises – open, transparent and professional – are consistent with domestic and international laws, as well as international customary practices. They are aimed at sending warnings to the perpetrator and punishing the "Taiwan independence" forces. This is also our practice to uphold the international law and the basic norms governing international relations, particularly non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, which is the most important international norm enshrined in the UN Charter.
Third, the Taiwan question is not the issue of Ukraine, nor shall the two be compared. The Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are different in nature and are not comparable at all. Most fundamentally, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question entirely falls within China's internal affairs. Those who underscore their respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity should implement this principle on the Taiwan question. Some countries, while urging respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, have kept trampling on China's red line and undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question. This is a blatant act of double standards.
China appreciates Israel's commitment to the one-China policy, and hopes that by knowing more facts, our Israeli friends will take a just stance to uphold the one-China principle instead of being misled by fallacies. Let's join hands in promoting the sound and steady development of the China-Israel relations.
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