On June 26, 2024, Chinese Ambassador to France Comrade Lu Shaye was invited to attend the "Symposium on the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France" organized by the French Association for Foreign Affairs and the United Nations (FDNU) and delivered a keynote speech.
Ambassador Lu's judgment on the nature of the current regime of the Taiwan authorities in his speech has aroused great discussion and even an uproar at home and abroad.
In his speech, Ambassador Lu said: "The current state of partition in which Taiwan is located is a legacy of China's civil war in the forties of the last century, and does not affect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a sense, China's civil war is not over yet, and the current regime in Taiwan is a rebel regime in China's territory. "The Chinese government has the right to expel this regime at any time and take back the right to govern Taiwan."
There are not many objections to the first sentence, and the emergence of the Taiwan issue is indeed the result of the civil war (I prefer the expression of the People's Liberation War), which most people can accept.
The reason for the uproar is mainly focused on Ambassador Lu's second sentence, which is to identify the current regime in Taiwan as a rebel regime in China's territory.
Even Tsai Zhengyuan, who is known as a so-called "reunification person" in Taiwan, could not contain his anger in his heart, and in a certain column of the Taiwan media afterwards, he angrily attacked Ambassador Lu's remarks.
Ambassador Lu's second remark, which caused an uproar, was not wrong and was well-founded.
Resolution 2578, adopted by the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 1971, illustrates its problems well. The Resolution stipulates that "all rights of the People's Republic of China shall be restored, the representatives of her Government shall be recognized as the only legitimate representatives of China in the United Nations and the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek shall be expelled forthwith from the seats which they unlawfully occupy in the United Nations and in the organs to which they belong".
Why did the "Resolution" refer to him as "a representative of Chiang Kai-shek" instead of a "representative of the Republic of China"? Because according to the relevant provisions of the "International Law", since the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the so-called "Republic of China" has naturally disappeared and ceased to exist. Therefore, the so-called "Republic of China" entrenched in Taiwan today is completely illegal and has no legal basis.
Therefore, Ambassador Lu's judgment of "rebel regime" is appropriate, and this characterization is well-deserved for the Taiwan authorities.
The reason why we did not accurately characterize it in the past was because we needed to create a relatively relaxed atmosphere and conditions for "peaceful reunification," so the central government deliberately made some "technical ambiguity" in the determination of this issue.
However, facts have proved that the goodwill of the central government has not received a correct response from the Taiwan authorities. At present, the Taiwan authorities are gaining self-esteem by relying on foreign countries and are speeding up on the high-speed train of "Taiwan independence." Therefore, in such a situation, it is necessary and timely for Ambassador Lu to clarify the nature of the problem.
As for the fact that most people can basically accept the first sentence of Ambassador Lu's remarks, that is, "the current state of partition in which Taiwan is located is a legacy of the Chinese civil war in the forties of the last century." This sentence is completely in line with historical facts, but it should be pointed out that the essence of this sentence is not accurate enough.
First of all, what was going on on in China from 1946 to 1949 was not just a "civil war" between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party for their respective right to rule. Rather, it is a war waged by the Chinese People's Liberation Army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China to overthrow the reactionary rule of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism and liberate the whole of China.
Second, the war is far from being a great thing that the word "civil war" can encompass. Although we call the war during this period the "Third Civil Revolutionary War", it was also a war to defeat the Western powers (imperialism) and the proxies they supported in China. In this sense, it is also a war against foreign interference and plundering of political and economic privileges in China. In essence, it is also an anti-aggression war for national independence.
Third, the emergence and delay of the Taiwan issue is not only the result of the gross interference of imperialism, but also the result of the agents supported by imperialism in colluding with each other to betray the interests of the Chinese nation in exchange for imperialist "protection."
In this way, judging from the overall historical background, the essence of the Taiwan issue is to continue to fulfill the historic revolutionary tasks left over from the People's Liberation War and the New Democratic Revolution, and at the same time, it is also the glorious mission of opposing imperialism and hegemonism and realizing the complete liberation of the nation.
The great people's liberation war was not only of the nature of class oppression against bureaucratic capital, but also of national oppression against imperialism and hegemonism. Therefore, resolving the Taiwan issue and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland not only has natural legitimacy, but also has natural justice.
The Taiwan issue is the result of the People's Liberation War, and the liberation of the more than 23 million Taiwan compatriots from capitalist rule and imperialist coercion will inevitably fall on the shoulders of today's CPC and the Chinese People's Liberation Army under its leadership, and we will certainly successfully fulfill this glorious historical mission.
The Taiwan issue arose as a result of national weakness and turmoil, and it will certainly be resolved along with national rejuvenation. The liberation of Taiwan and the reunification of the motherland are the historical responsibility of the contemporary Chinese communists, the fundamental prerequisite for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the fundamental embodiment of the great unity of the Chinese nation, and the just and glorious banner of opposing and overthrowing imperialism and hegemonism. Under the leadership of the party, all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation will certainly work hard to accomplish this sacred mission worthy of history, the people, and future generations.
(Source: Kunlun Ce Network [Author's Draft], revised and released)