Dai Yuming, chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy in Israel, published a signed article in the Jerusalem Post entitled "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory"

Science and Technology Daily reporter Hu Dingkun intern reporter Yu Ziyue

On October 19, 2021, Dai Yuming, chargé d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Israel, published a signed article entitled "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory" in The Jerusalem Post, israel's largest English-language newspaper, introducing the historical longitude and latitude of the Taiwan issue and the principled position of the Chinese government, and clarifying and refuting some erroneous understandings and remarks on the Taiwan issue in Israeli public opinion in order to set the record straight. The full text is as follows:

Image source: Courtesy of the Embassy in Israel

Recently, some erroneous understandings and remarks on the Taiwan issue have appeared in Israeli public opinion. I have the responsibility and willingness to brief friends from all walks of life on some historical longitudes and facts about the Taiwan issue.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. To understand the Taiwan issue, we must understand China's history. Chinese history books dating back more than 1,700 years ago have documented the early development of Taiwan Chinese. In the middle of the 12th century, China set up an administrative office in Taiwan and sent troops to garrison it. In 1885, the Qing Dynasty established a province in Taiwan. After the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894, Japan stole Taiwan. In 1931, the Chinese people began a 14-year war of resistance against Japanese aggression, which was also part of the world's anti-fascist struggle. On December 1, 1943, the Cairo Declaration signed by The United States, the United States, and the United Kingdom stated: "The purpose of the three countries is to deprive China of all the islands that Japan has seized or occupied in the Pacific since the beginning of World War I in 1914, and to return to China the land stolen by Japan from China, such as Manchuria, Taiwan, and the Penghu Islands." On July 26, 1945, the Potsdam Proclamation signed by China, the United States and the United Kingdom (with the participation of the later Soviet Union) reiterated: "The conditions of the Cairo Declaration will be implemented." In the same year, the Chinese people won a great victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and Taiwan returned to the embrace of the motherland. However, shortly thereafter, due to the continuation of China's civil war and the intervention of external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait fell into a special state of long-term political confrontation, which has been separated for 70 years. However, the fact that Taiwan and Chinese mainland belong to the same China has never changed, nor can it change. As an inalienable part of China's territory, Taiwan has never been a country and can never become a country.

The one-China principle is the universal consensus of the international community. Adhering to the one-China principle is a universally recognized norm governing international relations, a universal consensus of the international community, and a political basis for China to develop relations with any country, including Israel. On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, restoring all the legitimate seats of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and immediately expelling the Taiwan authorities from all organs of the United Nations. In December 1978, China and the United States issued a communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations, in which the United States "recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China" and "recognized China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China." All 180 countries that have established diplomatic relations with China have reached formal agreements or understandings with the Chinese Government on the Taiwan issue in accordance with international law and the one-China principle, and have pledged not to establish any official relations with Taiwan. Some people falsely accuse the Chinese Government of "pressuring other countries not to recognize Taiwan independence," which just exposes their ignorance or wanton misinterpretation of the Taiwan issue.

The argument that "China coerced Taiwan by force" is nonsense. At present, the situation in the Taiwan Strait region is tending to be tense, and the Dpp authorities and the "Taiwan independence" forces collude with external forces to continuously carry out "Taiwan independence" provocations, which is the root cause of the current situation in the Taiwan Strait region and the tension and turmoil in cross-strait relations. Peaceful reunification is the common aspiration of the people on both sides of the strait. After the founding of New China, the Chinese Government made long-term and unremitting efforts to resolve the Taiwan issue, and the two sides reached the "1992 Consensus" that "both sides of the Strait belong to one China and work together to seek national reunification." We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the greatest efforts, but we will never leave any room for various forms of "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option of taking all necessary measures, which are aimed at the interference of external forces and the very small number of "Taiwan independence" separatists and their separatist activities.

Falsely accusing China of suppressing Taiwan's "international living space" is absurd. Some people falsely claim that the Chinese Government is suppressing Taiwan's "international space" in the international arena, and some politicians advocate "accepting Taiwan" into the United Nations. This is a blatant challenge and serious provocation to the one-China principle, a blatant violation of UN General Assembly resolution 2758, and a typical "Taiwan independence" rhetoric, which we firmly oppose. The Position of the Chinese Government on the issue of the Taiwan region's participation in international affairs is clear and consistent, that is, it must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle, which is also an important principle recognized by the General Assembly in its resolution 2758. The United Nations is an international organization composed of sovereign states, and Taiwan, as a province of China, is not eligible to join at all, as are other international organizations that must join as sovereign states. Taking into account the interests and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, under the one-China principle, the Chinese Government allows the Taiwan region to join relevant international organizations in a way that we agree and accept, such as joining the WTO and APEC in the name of "Chinese Taipei," so as to fully guarantee the space for economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between the people of Taiwan and the people of the world. At present, the "international living space" demanded by the Taiwan authorities is political in nature, and it is to engage in "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan" in the international arena in a vain attempt to separate Taiwan from China. Such acts of secession are intolerable to any one Government. We believe that the just cause of the Chinese Government and Chinese people in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposing separatism and realizing national reunification will certainly continue to receive the understanding and support of the United Nations and the vast number of Member States.

Realizing cross-strait reunification is an irresistible historical trend. Realizing the complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration of the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad and the common will of the Chinese nation. A few days ago, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the conference commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, stressing that the Taiwan issue was born of national weakness and chaos and will be resolved with national rejuvenation. This is determined by the general trend of the historical evolution of the Chinese nation, and it is also the common will of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. Realizing the reunification of the motherland by peaceful means is most in line with the overall interests of the Chinese nation, including Taiwan compatriots. We adhere to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," adhere to the one-China principle and the "1992 Consensus," and promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. The split of "Taiwan independence" is the biggest obstacle to the reunification of the motherland and a serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation. The Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair and brooks no foreign interference. No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity!　

The Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, is China's core interest, and concerns the national feelings of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. Taiwan is the taiwan of all Chinese people, including 23 million Taiwan compatriots, and the future of Taiwan should be jointly decided by all Chinese people. We highly appreciate the Israeli Government's adherence to the one-China principle, and we also hope that friends from all walks of life in Israel can accurately understand the Taiwan issue, understand and support China's process of promoting reunification, and avoid being used by the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and the anti-China forces with suspicious intentions.

Editor: Zhang Qiqi

Review: Yue Liang