For quite some time, the separatist forces of China’s Taiwan Region and certain major country have been deliberately distorting and challenging one-China principle and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, trumpeting the notion that Taiwan’s status is undetermined, and advocating support for Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations conferences and activities. These moves attempt to invent a whole set of false narratives to mislead international public opinion, and trample on the international law and basic norms governing international relations.
In view of this, it is more than necessary to comprehensively and systematically explain the origin and facts of Resolution 2758 to our Tongan friends, so as to set the record straight.
The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests. There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
Resolution 2758 adopted at the 26th Session of the UN General Assembly in 1971 stated in black and white that it “decides to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.”
The resolution made it clear that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, including Taiwan, at the UN; Taiwan is not a country but a part of China’s territory. It makes clear Taiwan’s status as a non-sovereign entity. UNGA Resolution 2758 resolved once and for all politically, legally and procedurally the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, at the United Nations. The resolution also made clear that there can only be one seat representing China at the UN and precluded the possibility of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.”
The Taiwan region’s participation in the activities of international organizations must and can only be handled in accordance with the one-China principle. Since the adoption of the resolution, the one-China principle has been observed by the UN and its specialized agencies on the Taiwan question. Up to now, one hundred and eighty-three countries have established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, they have all made political commitment to adhering to the one-China principle, and included this commitment in political documents such as communiqués and joint statements on the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. This fully shows that supporting the one-China principle is where the public opinion trends and the arc of history bends, and has become a basic norm in international relations.
UNGA Resolution 2758 brooks no challenge and misinterpretation. China will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from the motherland in any way. Challenging the one-China principle will end up nowhere and turning back the wheel of history will not succeed. No one should underestimate the will and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” and use Taiwan to contain China will only be met with firm opposition from the international community and is doomed to fail. We urge relevant countries to stand on the side of the majority of countries in the world, stand on the right side of history, follow the solemn decision made by the UNGA, abide by the one-China principle and stop stepping on China’s baseline and red line on the Taiwan question in any way.
The one-China principle is the fundamental prerequisite and political foundation of China-Tonga relations. Without one-China principle, China-Tonga relations can not be sustained. We are glad to see that the one-China principle has taken deep roots in Tonga. Since Day One after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Tonga has firmly committed to the one-China principle, which China highly appreciates.
The past 26 years has witnessed the dedicated cooperation and fruitful outcomes between our two countries. China-Tonga relations have become a model of solidarity, cooperation, and joint development among developing countries and countries of different sizes. We are confident that Tonga, as a long-term and close friend of China, will firmly adhere to the one-China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758 on bilateral and multilateral occasions. China will continue to work with Tonga to strengthen political trust, enhance strategic synergy, deepen practical cooperation, advance cultural and people-to-people exchanges and deliver more tangible benefits to the people of our two countries on the basis of the one-China principle.
