In the News August 9

U.S. Provocation over Taiwan

For Your Information

Statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, August 2

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 2 issued a statement on Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region. The full text of the statement follows.

On 2 August, in disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence.” China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States.

There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This has been clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations.

In 1979, the United States made a clear commitment in the China-U.S. Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations — “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.” Congress, as a part of the U.S. Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the U.S. Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China’s Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by U.S. congressional members, and the U.S. executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan. China absolutely does not accept this, and the Chinese people absolutely reject this.

The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, go all out to push forward “de-sinicization,” and promote “incremental independence.” The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens “Taiwan independence” separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it.

The position of the Chinese Government and people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm commitment of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the common aspiration and sacred responsibility of all Chinese sons and daughters to realize the complete reunification of the motherland. The will of the people is not to be defied, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed. No country, no forces and no individual should ever misestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese Government and people to defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker’s visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.

China and the United States are two major countries. The right way for them to deal with each other lies only in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, no-confrontation and win-win cooperation. The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, and no other country is entitled to act as a judge on the Taiwan question. China strongly urges the United States to stop playing the “Taiwan card” and using Taiwan to contain China. It should stop meddling on Taiwan and interfering in China’s internal affairs. It should stop supporting and conniving at “Taiwan independence” separatist forces in any form. It should stop its acts of saying one thing but doing the opposite on the Taiwan question. It should stop distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle. It must take credible actions to observe strictly the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, deliver on the “five noes” commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a “new Cold War”; not seek to change China’s system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support “Taiwan independence”; not look for conflict with China), and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path.

Remarks of Chinese Foreign Minister, August 3

In disregard of China’s solemn representations, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brazenly went ahead with her visit to China’s Taiwan region, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

This move seriously violates the one-China principle, maliciously infringes on China’s sovereignty and blatantly engages in political provocations, which has aroused strong indignation among the Chinese people and widespread opposition from the international community.

It proves once again that some U.S. politicians have become “troublemakers” of China-U.S. relations, and that the United States has become the “biggest destroyer” of peace across the Taiwan Strait and for regional stability.

The United States should not dream of obstructing China’s reunification. Taiwan is a part of China. The complete reunification of China is the trend of the times and an inevitability of history. We will leave no room for the “Taiwan independence” forces and external interference.

No matter how the United States supports or connives at the “Taiwan independence” forces, it will be all in vain. The United States will only leave more ugly records of gross meddling in other countries’ internal affairs in history. The Taiwan question arose when the country was weak and chaotic at the time, and will surely end with national rejuvenation.

The United States should not fantasize about undermining China’s development and revitalization. China has found a correct development path in line with its own national conditions. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, 1.4 billion Chinese people are striding towards the Chinese-style modernization.

We put the development of our country and nation on the basis of our own strength, and are willing to coexist peacefully and develop together with other countries. But we will never allow any country to undermine China’s stability and development.

Provoking trouble on the Taiwan question in an attempt to delay China’s development and undermine China’s peaceful rise will be totally futile and will surely lead to total failure.

The United States should not fantasize about manipulating geopolitical games. Seeking peace, stability, development and win-win cooperation are the common aspirations of regional countries.

The introduction of the Taiwan question into the regional strategy by the United States, which inflates tensions and stokes confrontation, is against the trend of regional development and goes against the expectations of the people in the Asia-Pacific. This is very dangerous and stupid.

The one-China principle has become a basic norm governing international relations and an integral part of the post-Second World War international order.

What the United States should do is to immediately stop violating the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and stop playing the “Taiwan card” to disrupt the Asia-Pacific region.

The United States should not fantasize about distorting facts at will. The U.S. side claimed that China is escalating the situation, but the basic facts are that the United States first provoked China on the Taiwan question and blatantly violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The U.S. side claimed that there was a precedent of the U.S. House speaker visiting Taiwan. Yet the basic truth is that past mistakes cannot be used as an excuse to repeat them today.

The U.S. side claimed that it cannot restrain the Congress due to the separation of powers. But the basic norm of international law is that the United States must fulfill its international obligations, and key politicians should not misbehave.

It also claimed that China’s pursuit of reunification is a “threat” to Taiwan, but the basic logic is that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China. It is lawful and justified that China upholds territorial integrity and opposes secession.

I want to stress that the one-China principle is the key stabilizing force for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and the three China-U.S. joint communiques are the real “guardrails” for peaceful coexistence between China and the United States.

Clinging to the United States to seek “independence” is a dead end, and attempts to use the Taiwan question to contain China are doomed to failure.

In the face of the great cause of national unification, the Chinese people have the gut not to be misled by fallacies or scared by evils, the ambition to never be intimidated or crushed, the determination to unite as one, and the ability to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and national dignity.

China Summons U.S. Ambassador

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng urgently summoned the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on the evening of August 2 and lodged stern representations and strong protests over Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region.

Noting that Pelosi risks universal condemnation to deliberately provoke and play with fire, Xie said that this is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques.

It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xie said, adding that it gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence.”

“The move is extremely egregious in nature and the consequences are extremely serious. China will not sit idly by,” Xie noted.

Xie said the U.S. government must be held accountable. For a while, the U.S. has said one thing and done another thing, constantly distorted and hollowed out the one-China principle.

It deleted the key expressions such as Taiwan is part of China from the U.S. State Department website, put Taiwan in its so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy,” openly upgraded its ties with Taiwan and increased arms sales to the region and supported separatist activities for “Taiwan independence,” according to Xie.

He said the U.S. government has indulged rather than restrained Pelosi’s willful act, leading to the escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait and seriously undermined the China-U.S. relations.

Noting that the U.S. side shall pay the price for its own mistakes, Xie urged the U.S. to immediately address its wrongdoings, take practical measures to undo the adverse effects caused by Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

The United States must not go further down the wrong path, escalating tensions and making the situation across the Taiwan Strait and China-U.S. relations irreparable, Xie said.

He added that the United States should stop playing the “Taiwan card,” stop using Taiwan to contain China in any form, and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.

The United States must take concrete actions to observe the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, deliver on the “five noes” commitment made by the U.S. leadership (i.e. not seek a “new Cold War”; not seek to change China’s system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support “Taiwan independence”; not look for conflict with China), and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path, Xie noted.

Xie stressed that the trend of the times cannot be reversed, the will of the people is not to be defied, and those who play with fire will perish by it.

“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan, and Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland. Chinese people are not afraid of ghosts, pressure and the evil,” Xie said.

In the minds of the Chinese people, nothing is more sacred than to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and nothing is more important than safeguarding and realizing national reunification, Xie noted.

He added that no country, no force and no individual should ever underestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation.

G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement, August 3

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reaffirm our shared commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and beyond.

We are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation. There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC’s escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region.

We call on the PRC not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means. There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of the G7 members.

We reiterate our shared and steadfast commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, act with transparency, and maintain open lines of communication to prevent misunderstanding.

China Cancels Meeting with Japan over G7 Statement

China has cancelled a bilateral meeting between the Chinese and the Japanese foreign ministers in Phnom Penh over the G7’s joint statement on Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing on August 4.

“China is no longer planning to hold a meeting in Phnom Penh between the foreign ministers of China and Japan after the Japanese side published a statement jointly with its G7 and EU partners to express ungrounded criticism. The facts are distorted in the statement, besides, it justifies US moves in violation of China’s sovereignty. The people of China are highly displeased with this,” she said.

Global Times Report on G7 Statement

With the highly provocative visit of a high-ranking U.S. official to Taiwan being under the spotlight for the past week, the U.S.-led West’s wrestling with China has been shifting from preventing a regional military conflict to pressuring China on the global stage by accusing it of causing the rising cross-Straits tensions, like the U.S. always does in confusing right and wrong. As a puppet of the U.S., the G7 censured Beijing’s legitimate defense and response to Washington’s serious provocation, reflecting its hypocrisy, duplicity and ugliness.

As the one-China principle is universally recognized by the international community and the UN resolution affirms the one-China principle, the U.S.-led small clique can’t openly challenge this principle otherwise it’s challenging the rule-based world order.

But certain countries and politicians, who have been manipulated by Washington to serve the latter’s geopolitical goals by playing the Taiwan card, attempted to separate the island from China with the so-called democratic values and intending to follow the footsteps of the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. From how China reacted now and will react to Pelosi’s reckless move with comprehensive countermeasures, those countries and politicians should carefully consider the consequences of challenging China’s red line, otherwise, they will pay unbearable prices, experts and officials warned.

Both the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Mission to the EU slammed the G7 statement on Thursday [August 4], calling it evil and shameless, which is reminiscent of the “Eight-Power Allied Forces” that invaded China a hundred years ago. The Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also firmly refuted the statement, saying that it confused the right with the wrong and its wrong deeds aroused the strong indignation from the Chinese people.

“The U.S. instigated the trouble and the crisis, escalating the situation. If we don’t react to such malicious and blatant provocation with countermeasures, how can we stick to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs? How can we uphold the international law and safeguard regional peace?” Wang said during the foreign ministers’ meetings on East Asia cooperation in Cambodia.

The fundamental reason for the current tension in the Taiwan Straits is that the U.S. ignored China’s strong opposition and solemn representation, connived with the U.S. No. 3 political figure to visit the island by taking a U.S. military aircraft, which is a major incident of elevating the U.S.-Taiwan relations, seriously damaging one-China principle and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday.

The U.S. made the malicious provocation first, and China followed with a justifiable defense, Hua said, noting that the G7 nations earlier kept silent and ignored the visit but now have jumped out to accuse China’s legitimate reaction, which only exposes their hypocrisy and ugly faces, the spokesperson said.

‘Typical Hypocrisy’

After the reckless and dangerous visit of Pelosi prompted a series of countermeasures from China, the G7 foreign ministers along with the High Representative of the EU, issued a joint statement saying that “we are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions” by China, particularly live-fire exercises and “economic coercion,” and calling on China not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region.

The statement also said, “there is no change in the respective one-China policies,” which, in the eyes of Chinese experts, is a typical hypocrisy of the U.S.-led Western bloc in dealing with the Taiwan question.

On the one hand, the G7 members cooperate with the U.S. to create trouble for China on the question but on the other hand, some countries inside the bloc understand their own interests will be affected if they enrage China on the matter, so they are not on the same page with Washington in provoking China and still claim to uphold the one-China policy, a Beijing-based expert on foreign affairs who preferred not to be named told the Global Times on Thursday.

The incident was planned and provoked singlehandedly by the U.S., and the causes and consequences and the right and wrong are clear. To avoid this crisis imposed on China, China has already made the greatest diplomatic efforts, but at the same time, China will never tolerate any attempt to create tension, instigate confrontation and incite secession in the region, Wang noted.

At 12 pm on Thursday, the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command Army started to conduct major military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills in six large maritime areas and their air space surrounding the island, which will last until Sunday noon. Also, starting Wednesday, Chinese mainland customs authorities suspended imports of citrus fruits and some frozen fish imports from the island. It also suspended exports of natural sand, of which Taiwan reportedly sources over 90 percent from the mainland.

In the meantime, mainland authorities announced Wednesday [August 3] that a number of diehard “Taiwan secessionist” individuals, two funds, and multiple companies related to secessionist activities will be punished in accordance with the law.

The comprehensive measures taken by China now and in the future are necessary and timely defensive countermeasures, which are made after careful consideration and evaluation, Wang said, noting that the purpose of those measures is to safeguard the national sovereignty and security, which comply with international and domestic law.

They serve as a warning to those who provoke, and help safeguard the regional stability and peace across the Straits, he said.

The way they’re accusing China [which is defending itself] of escalating tensions reminded some experts of the playbook how the U.S.-led West provoked Russia and pushed it into a corner and then accused it for launching military operations in Ukraine. Although the Taiwan question is essentially different from the Ukraine crisis, the Western tactics of instigating conflicts are the same, some experts said.

The U.S., as always, is using G7 as a tool to advance its own interests and agenda. The U.S. is gradually undermining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by hollowing out its commitment to the one-China policy but then subsequently framing China as the aggressor for responding, Tom Fowdy, a south Korea-based political analyst, told the Global Times on Thursday.

“It is a classic part of the U.S. playbook to do this, and it almost certainly attempts to encourage other countries to also challenge China’s red line on Taiwan,” he said.

While the Taiwan question is different from the Ukraine crisis, the way that the U.S. seeks to push against other countries’ red lines, refuses to compromise and then frames them as aggressors are similar, and also like on the Ukraine issue, the U.S. seeks to build a coalition of countries to oppose China, Fowdy said.

Global Consensus

Despite Washington’s ill-intentioned attempts to form small cliques to manipulate the understanding of the Taiwan question, the international community clearly shares the consensus on the matter as when it comes to the Taiwan question, there are undeniable historical facts, solid international law and wide international consensus that confirm the basic truth: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, which is also explicitly stated in the UN resolution.

In responding to Pelosi’s visit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the latest press briefing that “our position is very clear, we abide by General Assembly resolutions, by the one-China policy, and that is the orientation that we have in everything we do.”

More countries including Cuba, Mexico, Iran, Brazil and South Korea reiterated their adherence to the one-China principle and the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 on Thursday, condemning Pelosi’s provocative visit. Multilateral groups such as ASEAN and Arab League also voiced support for the one-China policy on Thursday.

That the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same country is a fact that hundreds of countries recognized when they established diplomatic relations with China. Only when international relations are built under historical and legal contexts, will there be a fair world order, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

“If we let the West define this order and the reunification can’t be realized, it will serve as a turning point for the global community, which means all the international relations would be defined by geopolitical interests rather than justice,” Yang said.

The international community clearly understand why the Taiwan question is sensitive to China and where China’s red line is, as some voiced opposition and concerns over Pelosi’s visit and the damage it caused.

“We’re on a trajectory of escalating conflict and this will certainly make matters worse. It plays well to local politics in the U.S. and in Taiwan, but it does not play well to geostrategic forces that are pushing these two nations apart, Stephen Roach, a Yale University senior fellow and former Federal Reserve economist, was quoted as saying in a report of CNBC on Wednesday.

The leadership in both the U.S. and China to address this conflict is compromised by this basically pouring salt in an open wound for China, he said.

In recent days, a number of U.S. media outlets such as CNBC and the New York Post tried to explain what the “one-China policy” is and why it’s important to China. In the eyes of the Chinese public and some experts, Pelosi’s visit did only one favorable thing: help more American people understand what China’s core interest is.

And when the core interest is threatened, the Chinese government will not hesitate to roll out massive and strong measures and let the provocateurs feel the pain. These countermeasures also serve as a warning to other Western politicians who intend to follow the U.S. path, experts said.

Recently, the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock claimed that German will support the island of Taiwan if the mainland conducts military actions; some UK lawmakers said they’re also planning to visit the island later this year. Anti-China politicians in countries like Lithuania also played the Taiwan card but then faced unaffordable fallout for trampling on one-China principle.

Those anti-China politicians should understand that no matter how high they jump on the Taiwan question and how much they advocate, those moves won’t affect our strong determination and will in handling the Taiwan question, Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.

“When it comes to the Taiwan question, those countries need to be cautious, otherwise, the consequences could be beyond their imagination and become unbearable,” he said.

Statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cuba, August 2

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba states its firm rejection to the actions aimed at harming the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China; condemns interference in its internal affairs, and emphasizes its concern over the increasing tensions and further deterioration of the situation concerning Taiwan as a direct result of the aggressive policy and high military presence of the United States and its allies in the Taiwan Strait, military contacts and regular sale of weapons, actions all that undermine peace and international and regional peace.

New provocations, disguised as official contacts or high-level visits deliberately pose further dangers.

Cuba reaffirms its strict adherence to the “one China” principle and the acknowledgement of Taiwan as an inalienable part of the territory of that country.

The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 2758 adopted on October 25, 1971, recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the true and sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people. Today, it has diplomatic relations with 181 countries based on the acknowledgement of the “one-China” principle.

The purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law must be respected without selectivity or double standards.

China’s key role as a factor for stability and international balance cannot be disregarded, nor the relevance of its cooperation with developing countries with no political conditions attached.

Vietnam Stresses Dialogue, Trust, Responsibility at East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, August 5

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son stressed the importance of dialogue, trust, and sense of responsibility while attending the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh on August 5.

The event took place as part of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-55) and related meetings in the capital city of Cambodia. It draw the participation of foreign ministers from ASEAN member states and EAS partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia, and the US.

Participants affirmed the specialness of the EAS, a forum established by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for regional leaders to discuss strategic issues, thus creating prerequisites for regional cooperation to overcome uncertainties and complexities for common peace, security, and prosperity in the region.

[…]

Sharing concerns over emerging complex developments in the East Sea/South China Sea, Myanmar, the Korean Peninsula, Ukraine, and the Taiwan Strait, the ministers affirmed the EAS’s strategic value of creating a favourable environment for straightforward dialogue, close consultation, and sincere cooperation for a region of peace, stability, and sustainable development.

In his remarks, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son reaffirmed ASEAN’s principled stance on international issues.

[…]

Regarding recent developments in the region, the minister repeated ASEAN and Vietnam’s stance that supports the “One-China” policy. He called on the parties concerned to exercise self-restraint, avoid complicating the situation, peacefully resolve disagreements and disputes, and adhere to international law, the UN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

(Xinhua, Tass, Global Times, Nhan Dan)

(TML Daily, posted August 9, 2022)