Chinese FM expounds on China's position on Taiwan question

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference for Chinese and foreign media to expound on China's position on the Taiwan question after attending the meetings of foreign ministers on East Asia cooperation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 5, 2022. [Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua]

PHNOM PENH -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a press conference for Chinese and foreign media here on Friday afternoon after attending the meetings of foreign ministers on East Asia cooperation.

"I would like to expound on China's position on the Taiwan question. Considering that the U.S. side has just spread a lot of false information and untrue words in this regard, it is even more necessary for us to clarify the facts and set the record straight," said Wang.

He said that in disregard of China's resolute opposition and repeated representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi made a blatant visit to China's Taiwan region, with the actual connivance and facilitation of the U.S. government.

This retrogressive act seriously infringed on China's sovereignty, acutely interfered in China's internal affairs, severely violated the commitments made by the U.S. side, and gravely undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he noted.

"It is only natural that China should respond resolutely," he said.

"Our position is legitimate, reasonable and lawful. Our measures are resolute, strong and proportionate. Our military drills are open, transparent and professional, which are in line with our domestic law, international law and common international practice, with an aim of warning those perpetrators and disciplining the 'Taiwan independence' forces," Wang said.

"We will firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, resolutely deter the U.S. from 'using Taiwan to contain China', and resolutely shatter the Taiwan authorities' illusion of seeking independence by relying on U.S. support," he said.

"Meanwhile, we are also upholding international law and the basic norms governing international relations, especially the norm of non-interference, the most important international norm as stipulated in the United Nations Charter," Wang said.

He stressed that if the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states is ignored or abandoned, the world will be dragged back to the law of the jungle, and the United States will become even more unscrupulous in bullying other countries, particularly small and medium-sized countries, from its so-called "position of strength."

"We must not allow such things to happen, and all other countries should stand in unity to stop such things from happening and not allow the human civilization to regress," Wang said.

He said that is why more than 100 countries have publicly stood up and reaffirmed their firm adherence to the one-China policy, and their understanding of and support for China's legitimate position.

Noting that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has clearly stressed that the United Nations will continue to uphold the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, Wang said that the core of the resolution is the one-China principle, which states that there is only one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is part of China.

These are the voice of justice from the international community, he added.

Calling the U.S. attempt of "using Taiwan to contain China" just a fantasy, Wang said that it cannot stop the historical trend of Taiwan's return to the motherland, and cannot stop the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The ploy of the "Taiwan independence" forces to "seek independence by relying on U.S. support" is no more than a fantasy and is destined to hit a dead end, he said, adding that the noose around their necks will only get tighter.

In response to the U.S. excuse of a previous visit to Taiwan by a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Wang said former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich's visit to Taiwan was a serious mistake, which the Chinese government strongly opposed at the time.

The United States has no right and is not in any position to make the same mistake again, and it cannot use the past mistakes as excuses and justifications for repeating them today, Wang said, questioning is the United States preparing to redo all its wrongdoings and dirty tricks in its history.

Responding to the U.S. claim that China has changed the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Wang said it is nothing but a rumour and slander. Taiwan has never been a country. There is only one China, and both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country. This has been the status quo of Taiwan since ancient times.

The China-U.S. Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations issued in 1978 clearly emphasizes that the government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and Taiwan is part of China, which has been the status quo across the Taiwan Strait for decades, Wang noted.

But such status quo has indeed been broken. The destroyer is not China, but the United States and Taiwan separatist forces, Wang said.

"In 2000, the U.S. side placed its unilaterally-concocted 'Taiwan Relations Act' ahead of the three China-U.S. joint communiques. Isn't that changing the status quo? A few years ago, the U.S. side brazenly put the so-called 'Six Assurances,' which was kept in secrecy, into its one-China policy statement. Isn't that changing the status quo? Isn't it hollowing out the one-China policy?" Wang asked.

He suggested the U.S. politicians in power have a good look at the three joint communiques, saying that then they will know what the real status quo across the Taiwan Strait is, and who have changed it.

The same is true of those in Taiwan, Wang said. Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came into power in Taiwan, it has been continuously pushing forward "incremental independence," going all out to promote "de-sinicization," and trying to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" on various occasions.

"Isn't it blatantly changing the status quo? If Dr. Sun Yat-sen knew it, he would have pointed at the nose of Tsai Ing-wen, and called her an unworthy descendant," Wang said.

On reports saying the United States is increasing its military deployment in the region, Wang called on all sides to stay highly vigilant.

It is an old trick of the U.S. side to stir up troubles first and then take advantage of them to achieve its own goals, Wang said, adding that such practices will not work in front of China, and the Chinese side seriously warns the United States not to act recklessly and create a bigger crisis.

In response to the remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the meeting that the U.S. side hopes that international law is abided by and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries are maintained, Wang said it has been long since the U.S. side last made such remarks, and the U.S. has done the opposite in multiple cases over the years.

If the U.S. side can really mend its ways, China will encourage it, but the key is for the United States to walk the talk, Wang said, noting that it should first of all fulfill its commitment on the Taiwan question and respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop conniving at or supporting the "Taiwan independence" forces.