11.08.2022
The situation surrounding the visit of US congressmen led by Speaker of the US House of Representatives N. Pelosi to Taiwan (PRC) caused a great international outcry and, most likely, will have its own political consequences for China-US relations.
For a balanced understanding of the current situation, the China Studies Center publishes the official position of the PRC on the incident, which allows us to understand the peculiarities of the perception of the situation in Beijing and analyze its argumentation of its position regarding modern American policy in the Taiwan direction.
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Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao: US Should Be Responsible for Taiwan Strait Tensions
Recently, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan, which seriously violated the One China Principle and the Three Sino-US Joint Communiqués, seriously violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and seriously undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. China strongly opposes this act, strongly condemns it and takes effective countermeasures. The US is spreading fake news in an attempt to whitewash Pelosi and smear China. These actions have seriously polluted the information space of public opinion, which negatively affects the judgment of global observers and confuses the general public. As the Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan, it is my duty to clarify the truth about the tensions in the Taiwan Strait and expose the shameful face of the American side, which itself is a thief, but at the same time shouts: stop the thief!
First, who is directly responsible for tensions in the Taiwan Strait and who is changing the status quo here?
The American side said that the tension in the Taiwan Strait is caused by China’s “excessive” reaction, especially military exercises that could “change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
In fact, this crisis was entirely caused by the US unilaterally changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. What is the status quo of the Taiwan Strait? Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. This status is undermined not by China, but by the US and separatist forces in Taiwan. The United States unilaterally came up with the so-called “Taiwan Relations Act” and “Six Guarantees for Taiwan”, does this change the status quo? The United States continues to supply weapons and equipment to Taiwan to support the Taiwanese separatists, does this change the status quo? Taiwanese separatists are increasingly promoting the criminal plan of “Taiwan independence”, trying to kidnap 24 million Taiwanese for their own selfish interests, does this change the status quo? Not to mention that Pelosi, the No. 3 figure in US political circles, traveled to Taiwan in a military aircraft, seriously and flagrantly violated Chinese sovereignty, deliberately undermined the peace in the Taiwan Strait, and directly provoked the escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait. If not for Pelosi’s trip, the situation in the Taiwan Strait would not be the same as it is now.
In response to the US provocation, the Chinese military conducted military exercises in Taiwan waters, which is a necessary and legitimate measure to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The relevant Chinese authorities issued safety reminders and navigation warnings in advance. Military exercises are conducted openly, transparently and professionally, in accordance with national legislation, international law and international practice. Its goal is to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, contain US anti-Chinese forces and Taiwanese separatists, and truly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Second, the US claims to be very “reserved” by falsely claiming that China could “invade” Taiwan, as happened in Ukraine. This completely reverses the facts and violates legal principles.
In fact, for decades, the US has repeatedly interfered in the Taiwan Strait and repeatedly threatened China’s reunification. Is this “restraint” in the American way? Recently, the American side has insisted on condoning Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, despite repeated statements and strong opposition from China. Is this “restraint” in the American way? The U.S. is reportedly building up its military presence in Asia, in line with the consistent U.S. behavior of “causing problems first, then shifting the blame to others to achieve its goals.” Is this “restraint” the American way?
Not to mention that the US has waged wars and military operations around the world and committed countless crimes. To name but a few: Brown University’s Cost of War project has shown that more than 47,000 civilians have died as a result of the war in Afghanistan. The almost 20-year war in Afghanistan has caused 2.6 million Afghans to flee abroad and 3.5 million people to roam the world, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. According to other sources, from 2003 to 2021, about 209 thousand Iraqi civilians died in wars of conflict, and about 9.2 million Iraqis became refugees or were forced to leave their homeland. The UN report notes that many US airstrikes in places like Syria “failed to take the necessary precautions to distinguish between military and civilian targets.” The New York Times reported that, based on an investigation into classified Pentagon documents, frequent U.S. airstrikes in Syria have resulted in high civilian casualties due to “serious intelligence deficiencies” and “improper aiming.” And this is American “restraint”!
De jure, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and there is no way for China to make concessions in terms of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China, and the Ukrainian issue is an issue of interstate relations, which is completely incomparable. The concepts of “invading” or “advancing” can only occur between two countries. Calling China’s actions to protect the reunification of the motherland “invade Taiwan” is pure “pollution of discourse”. We hope that all parties will be more vigilant in this regard. We must seriously warn the United States not to act recklessly and exacerbate the crisis.
Thirdly, do most countries in the world support China or the US? Recently, under the manipulation of the American side, some countries have issued statements in support of the American side. The United States used this to say that the international community supports them and condemns China. This is typical nonsense. In fact, the international voices that support China are much louder than those that support the US.
The principle of one China is accepted by most countries of the world and is the basic norm in international relations. Its meaning is very clear: there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China. At present, 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China based on the recognition of the one China principle, including the United States. How does the US explain its own “double standards”? How many countries in the world repeat the nonsense of the US government and contradict themselves?
The fact is that more than 160 countries have already publicly confirmed their firm adherence to the one China policy, understanding and support for China’s legitimate position. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has made it clear that the UN will continue to adhere to UNGA Resolution 2758. The President of Kazakhstan, Mr. K. Zh. Tokayev, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan have repeatedly expressed their firm position of supporting the principle of one China and opposing “Taiwan independence”, which is an important manifestation of the high level of the eternal all-round strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan. It is the voice of justice shared by the international community.
China’s countermeasures against the United States are aimed not only at protecting national unity, but also the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, provided for by international law. If this principle is abandoned, the world will return to a jungle state where the big bully the small, the strong oppress the weak, and the United States will more recklessly offend other countries, especially small and medium-sized countries, from its so-called position of power. We cannot allow this. Today, as unilateral harassment is rampant, the international community must come to a clearer consensus on this issue, speak out with a stronger voice, and jointly defend international justice and the legitimate rights and interests of all developing countries.
Fourth, how should the Taiwan issue be resolved? Some in the US argue that the Taiwan issue is a long-term, “unresolved” one. In fact, the solution to the Taiwan problem is easily accessible: adhere to the One China principle. As long as the US stops interfering in China’s internal affairs, supporting Taiwanese separatists, and preventing China’s peaceful reunification, the Taiwan issue will naturally be resolved. We are ready to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and maximum efforts, but we reserve the right to take all necessary measures regarding only the interference of external forces and a handful of “Taiwan independence” separatists and their separatist activities.
If the United States is still delirious and wants to remain a “world leader”, using the Taiwan issue to obstruct the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and create instability in the Asia-Pacific region in exchange for political capital, intends to go further and further along the wrong and dangerous path, then I would like to emphasize that the awareness of the reunification of both sides of the Taiwan Strait is the common aspiration of the Chinese nation. No country, no power or anyone should underestimate the clear determination, strong will and strong ability of the Chinese government and people to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, achieve national reunification and national rejuvenation.
China Studies Centre,
Nur-Sultan, 2022
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