By: James Kamara-Manneh
It is the right of every sovereign State to exist on the fundamental principle of international law to safeguard national unity and territorial integrity. Hence, the Charter of the United Nations specifically stipulates that the United Nations and its Members shall refrain from any action against the territorial integrity or political independence of any of its Members or any State and shall not intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State.
The modern history of China was a record of subjection to aggression, dismemberment and humiliation by foreign powers. It was also a chronicle of the Chinese people’s valiant struggles for national independence and in defence of their state sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.
The origin and evolution of the Taiwan question are closely linked with that period of history. For various reasons, Taiwan is still separated from the mainland. Unless and until this state of affairs is brought to an end, the trauma on the Chinese nation will not be healed and the Chinese people’s struggle for national reunification and territorial integrity will continue.
However, the Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era is geared to give a significant boost of strength for national reunification and rejuvenation.
The white paper, published by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office, comprehensively elaborates on the history of the Taiwan question, and also the position, principles and policies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government on advancing and realizing national reunification in the new era.
It bears great significance in strengthening the trend of opposing “Taiwan independence” and advancing national reunification, resolutely curbing separatist activities and interference from external forces, and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. The CPC, the Chinese government, and the Chinese people have striven for decades to achieve this goal.
The CPC and the Chinese government have adopted new and innovative measures regarding Taiwan, and have continued to chart the course of cross-Straits relations, safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and promote progress toward national reunification.
The white paper points out that the one-China principle brooks no distortion or challenge. The connotation of the one-China principle is crystal-clear, i.e. there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The Government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is a prevailing international consensus and widely accepted basic norm in international relations.
However, the Taiwan authorities led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have redoubled their efforts to divide the country, and some external forces have tried to exploit Taiwan to contain China, prevent China from achieving complete reunification, and halt the process of national rejuvenation.
Such advocacy has resulted in serious tension in cross-straits relations, endangering peace and stability in the Taiwan strait, and such should be eliminated if there should be peaceful reunification.
Eternal interference from the United State and others has been an obstacle to reunifying China. The U.S has insisted on perceiving and portraying China as a major strategic adversary and a serious long-term threat, and they are doing their utmost to undermine and pressurize China, whilst exploiting Taiwan as a convenient tool.
However, China is firmly committed to peaceful development, it will not flinch in the face of external interference, nor will it tolerate any infringement upon its sovereignty, security and development interests.
China’s complete reunification is a process that cannot be halted. Seeking independence with foreign support will go nowhere, and using the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail.