This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti- Fascist War and the restoration of Taiwan to China. Later this month, China will hold a gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China. The Taiwan question bears on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is at the very core of China’s core interests. On the Taiwan question, Kuwait has long abided by the one-China principle. China highly commends and thanks Kuwait for its position in this regard. Hereby, I would like to share the following basic facts about Taiwan with Kuwaiti friends.

Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future. Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times. A large number of historical records and annals document the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people in earlier periods. From the 12th century onwards, the imperial central governments of China all set up administrative bodies in Taiwan. Though subjected to colonial rule by the Netherlands and Japan for some brief periods of time in the history, Taiwan has been under effective administration of the Chinese government for most of the time. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the history and the reality.

In 1895, the defeated Qing government was compelled by Japan to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki, through which Japan stole Taiwan and the Penghu Islands. In July 1937, Japanese fascists launched a full-scale war of aggression against China. From then onwards, the entire Chinese nation fought a tenacious war of resistance, establishing the world’s first large-scale anti-fascist battlefield. As the first light of victory dawned, major winning countries including China and the United States issued the Cairo Declaration in 1943 and the Potsdam Proclamation in 1945. Both explicitly stipulated that Taiwan, which Japan had stolen, shall be restored to China. On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, in which it promised that it would faithfully fulfill the obligations laid down in the Potsdam Proclamation. On October 25 of the same year, the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. These instruments with legal effect under international law have all affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. As important outcomes of the World Anti- Fascist War, they constitute the legal cornerstone of the postwar international order.

The one-China principle means that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is the premise and foundation for China establishing and developing diplomatic relations with any other country. In 1945, the United Nations was founded, with China as one of its founding members. In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, becoming the successor to the Republic of China (1912-1949), and the Central People’s Government became the only legitimate government of the whole of China.At its 26th session on October 25, 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority, which undertook 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. The one-China principle is the universal consensus of the international community. The only reference to Taiwan in the UN official documents is “Taiwan, Province of China”. To date, 183 nations including Kuwait have established and developed diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.

The Taiwan question is a matter of China’s internal affairs and allows no external interference.“Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems” are basic principles of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government for resolving the Taiwan question and the best approach to realizing national reunification. However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan and separatist forces cling to “Taiwan independence” positions and collude with external actors in provocative attempts to seek “independence”. These are the root causes of tensions and instability across the Taiwan Strait. The DPP authorities and certain forces have recently been challenging the authority of UNGA Resolution 2758, trumpeting the notion that Taiwan’s status is undetermined. This ill-intentioned move distorts history and treads on international law and the basic norms of international relations. The Chinese people have the resolve, the will and the ability to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No matter how the situation on the Taiwan island evolves or what troubles external forces may make, the historical trend toward China’s ultimate and inevitable reunification is unstoppable.

By H.E. Liu Xiang
Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait