US and Taiwan’s secessionist gimmicks must stop

Steven Katiyo

Correspondent

Regardless of China’s strong opposition and warnings, on 5 April local time in Los Angeles, the US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen who is visiting the US under the excuse of “transit.”

This is another serious provocation by the US side following the previous visit by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi to the Taiwan island last August, which violates the one-China principle, damages China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermines peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits.

In response, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command has organised its multiple affiliated military services and branches and conducted joint precision strike simulations on the island of Taiwan to pressure “Taiwan independence” forces.

An inalienable part of China

China’s counter-measures are not only resolute and powerful, but also reasonable. Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China’s territory since ancient times.

The world’s earliest account of Taiwan could be found in Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer compiles in 230AD by Shen Ying of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period.

In 1355, the Yuan dynasty set up a patrol and inspection agency in Penghu to administer civil affairs in Penghu and Taiwan, and the Chinese central government has since exercised effective jurisdiction over Taiwan.

During the World War, the Communist Party of China and Nationalist Party both put forth the goal of recovering Taiwan. The Cairo Declaration released by China, the US and the UK on 1 December 1943 stated that all the territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, including Taiwan, shall be restored to China.

Then, as a result of the Chinese civil war from 1945 to 1949, the defeated Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, with the support of external forces, set up a local regime on the island, and created a special situation of political antagonism between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait, from which the Taiwan question arose.

However, China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity have never been divided, and the fact that the two sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China and that Taiwan is part of China has never changed.

Now, more than 180 countries, including the US, have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.

The US side has also made solemn commitment to China on the one-China principle in the three China-US Joint Communiqué.

Therefore, from both historical and legal perspectives, it is clear that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

Playing with fire

Despite China’s patience, it has red lines. It will never tolerate an independent Taiwan, which is an integral part of China. Should independence be declared then China would be forced to take hard measures to protect its sovereignty. As such, it is absolutely foolish for anyone to be playing with fire on Taiwan question.

But this is precisely what Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen is doing when she threatens to have “state-to-state” contact with McCarthy, who said that “the friendship between America and the people of Taiwan has never been stronger.”

This is a mistake on Washington’s part. The US has been continually enriching the substance of the Taiwan leaders’ “transit” through the country, including offering opportunities to deliver speeches and to meet with American officials.

Chinese mainland will not accept the two sides playing this dangerous game.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning underlined, “Past mistakes do not justify any new mistake. Repeating a mistake does not make it legitimate. The trip is not so much a ‘transit,’ but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate ‘Taiwan independence.”

PLA forces close to Taiwan recently held intensive maritime and air exercises. These are messages to the US and Taiwan secessionist forces: The more frequent their collusion becomes, the faster the process of resolving the Taiwan question will be.

On the other hand, with the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, widely believed to be a product of US aggression that has destroyed the competitiveness of German industry, Germany has now become more dependent on the US.

Can Tsai really believe such a “friendship” with the US can bring any tangible value to the Taiwan residents? The attitude of Taiwan authorities in following the US has merely led to more concessions, which is in fact a damage to the island’s interests.

Peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, is the biggest dividend for all sides, including Chinese mainland, Taiwan island, and the US.

The meeting between Tsai and McCarthy will not bring any benefit to the US or Taiwan island, whose people want jobs, schools and healthcare instead of more crises, turmoil, and wars.

Unwelcome meeting

US and Taiwan’s secessionist gimmicks are widely opposed by the people and the international community. In the wake of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last August, over 170 countries, including Zimbabwe, have spoken up for justice, condemned the visit as a serious, reckless and irresponsible provocation and expressed their commitment to the one-China principle and support for China’s efforts to uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Likewise, Tsai’s “transit” through New York City and Los Angeles has prompted wide opposition and protest. When she arrived in New York, more than 700 people participated in a series of protests.

Members of local Chinese American community protested against Tsai’s visit to the US that violates the one-China principle in front of the hotel where Tsai was accommodated.

In Taiwan more than 50 political parties staged a protest themed “Anti-Taiwan independence, anti-interference” outside Taoyuan Airport against Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy. Political parties – including the Labor Party of Taiwan, the Reunification Alliance Party, the Chinese Unification Promotion Party, and the New Party – gathered outside the airport, calling for reunification and waving banners with slogans such as “Tsai-McCarthy selling Taiwan” and “We want no war, but peace.”

They also said Tsai was betraying people in the island and risking their lives and security to play the role of a chess piece in a US proxy war.

Even the allies of the US holds different ideas about the official interaction and upgrading substantive exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan region.

On April 9, French President Emmanuel Macron told POLITICO and the French newspaper Les Echos that Europe should avoid being ensnared in conflicts that were not its affair, and should not act as “followers” of the US On 12, he doubled down on his remarks that France would not act as a “vassal” by following US hardliners into a conflict over Taiwan.

Peace and reunification are the mainstream aims on Taiwan question. The right way for China and the United State them to deal with each other lies only in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, no-confrontation and win-win cooperation.

The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, and no other country is entitled to act as a judge. The US and Taiwan’s secessionist forces must stop meddling on Taiwan, interfering in China’s internal affairs and distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle to step away from the wrong and dangerous path.