Taiwan is an inalienable part of China

The Taiwan question concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also bears on the sentiment of the 1.4 billion Chinese people. Misleading claims by some opinion or narratives in media require clarification of historical and legal realities.

Taiwan has been Chinese territory since ancient times. In July 1894, Japan launched a war of aggression against China. In April 1895, it was forced to be ceded, together with the Penghu Islands, to Japan by the Qing government of China. Later, the Cairo Declaration of 1943 and the Potsdam Proclamation of 1945 stipulated in clear terms that Taiwan, which Japan had stolen, shall be restored to China. And in September 1945, Japan signed the instrument of surrender undertaking to “carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration in good faith”. In October of the same year, the Chinese government announced that it would “resume the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan.” Thus, through the series of internationally legally binding documents, China has recovered Taiwan in law and in reality. 

As a result of the civil war in China in the late 1940s and the interference of external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait fell into a state of political confrontation. In 1949, the Government of the People's Republic of China was established, replacing the Government of the Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This was a change in the government of China, not in China as a subject of international law. China's sovereignty and inherent territories remained unchanged. The Government of the People's Republic of China naturally enjoys and exercises China's sovereignty in full, including sovereignty over Taiwan. 

Resolution 2758 was adopted at the 26th General Assembly of the United Nations with an overwhelming majority in October 1971. It decided to restore all the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China at the UN and expel forthwith the representatives of the Taiwan authorities from the UN and all the organizations related to it. Once and for all, Resolution 2758 resolved, politically, legally and procedurally, the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN, and precluded any possibility of creating “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.” There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is a part of China instead of a country, and that China has only one seat in the United Nations, for which the Government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate representative. On this matter of principle, there is no gray zone or room for ambiguity. 

For over half a century, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and their spokespersons have made it clear when making statements relating to Taiwan that the United Nations adheres to the One-China principle under the guidance of General Assembly Resolution 2758. The Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat has issued multiple legal opinions clearly stating that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status.”

So far, One-China principle has been recognized by 183 countries, including the Philippines, which established diplomatic ties with China based on this understanding. These fully demonstrate that adhering to the One-China principle is the prevailing trend and will of the international community, and a basic norm governing international relations that must not be challenged. 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the restoration of Taiwan. But still there are some attempts to claim Taiwan as a “country” or propagate the so-called "undetermined status of Taiwan" theory. "Taiwan independence" is a political fallacy aiming to contain China, propagated by some separatists and external forces. Their absurd and dangerous move not only stands as a gross interference in China's internal affairs and challenge to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also risks shaking the post-World War II international order as well as international justice and conscience to its foundation. 

History and facts have long proven that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. The restoration of Taiwan to China is a fruit of the victory in World War II and an important component of the postwar international order. Although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are yet to be fully reunified, the status of Taiwan as a part of China’s territory has never changed and shall never change.