Taiwan Affairs Office & Information
Office
State Council
August 1993,
Beijing,
China
Contents
Foreword
I.
Taiwan-an Inalienable Part of China
II. Origin
of the Taiwan Question
III. The Chinese
Government's Basic Position Regarding Settlement of the
Taiwan Question
IV. Relations Across Taiwan
Straits: Evolution and Stumbling Blocks
V.
Several Questions Involving Taiwan in International
Relations
Conclusion
Foreword
It
is the sacred right of each and every sovereign State and a
fundamental principle of international law to safeguard
national unity and territorial integrity. The Charter of the
United Nations specifically stipulates that the United
Nations and its Members shall refrain from any action
against the territorial integrity or political independence
of any of its Members or any State and shall not intervene
in matters which are essentially within the domestic
jurisdiction of any State. The United Nations Declaration on
Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly
Relations and Co-operation Among States in Accordance with
the Charter of the United Nations points out that any
attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the
national unity, territorial integrity or political
independence of a State or country is incompatible with the
purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations.
The modern history of China was a
record of subjection to aggression, dismemberment and
humiliation by foreign powers. It was also a chronicle of
the Chinese people's valiant struggles for national
independence and in defense of their state sovereignty,
territorial integrity and national dignity. The origin and
evolution of the Taiwan Question are closely linked with
that period of history. For various reasons Taiwan is still
separated from the mainland. Unless and until this state of
affairs is brought to an end, the trauma on the Chinese
nation will not be healed and the Chinese people's struggle
for national reunification and territorial integrity will
continue.
What is the present state of the
Taiwan question? What is the crux of the problem? What are
the position and views of the Chinese Government regarding
the settlement of this issue? In order to facilitate a
better understanding by the international community, it is
necessary to elucidate the following
points.
I. Taiwan
-- an Inalienable Part of
China
Lying off the
southeastern coast of the China mainland, Taiwan is China's
largest island and forms an integral whole with the
mainland.
Taiwan has belonged to China since
ancient times. It was known as Yizhou or Liuqiu in
antiquities. Many historical records and annals documented
the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people in earlier
periods. References to this effect were to be found, among
others, in Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer compiled more than
1,700 years ago by Shen Ying of the State of Wu during the
period of the Three Kingdoms. This was the world's earliest
written account of Taiwan. Several expeditions, each
numbering over ten thousand men, had been sent to Taiwan by
the State of Wu (third century A.D.) and the Sui Dynasty
(seventh century A.D.) respectively. Since early seventeenth
century the Chinese people began to step up the development
of Taiwan. Their numbers topped one hundred thousand at the
end of the century. By 1893 (19th year of the reign of Qing
Emperor Guangxu) their population exceeded 2.54 million
people in 507,000 or more households. That was a 25-fold
increase in 200 years. They brought in a more advanced mode
of production and settled the whole length and breadth of
Taiwan. Thanks to the determined efforts and hard toil of
the pioneers, the development of the island as a whole
greatly accelerated. This was the historical fact of how
Taiwan, like the other parts of China, came to be opened up
and settled by the Chinese people of various nationalities.
From the very beginning the Taiwan society derived from the
source of the Chinese cultural tradition. This basic fact
had not changed even during the half century of Japanese
occupation. The history of Taiwan's development is imbued
with the blood, sweat, and ingenuity of the Chinese people
including the local ethnic minorities.
Chinese
governments of different periods set up administrative
bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan. As early as in
the mid-12th century the Song Dynasty set up a garrison in
Penghu, putting the territory under the jurisdiction of
Jinjiang County of Fujian's Quanzhou Prefecture. The Yuan
Dynasty installed an agency of patrol and inspection in
Penghu to administer the territory. During the mid- and late
16th century the Ming Dynasty reinstated the once abolished
agency and sent reinforcements to Penghu in order to ward
off foreign invaders. In 1662 (first year of the reign of
Qing Emperor Kangxi) General Zheng Chenggong (known in the
West as Koxinga) instituted Chengtian Prefecture on Taiwan.
Subsequently, the Qing government expanded the
administrative structure in Taiwan, thereby strengthening
its rule over the territory. In 1684 (23rd year of the reign
of Emperor Kangxi) a Taiwan-Xiamen Patrol Command and a
Taiwan Prefecture Administration were set up under the
jurisdiction of Fujian Province. These in turn exercised
jurisdiction over three counties on the island: Taiwan
(present-day Tainan), Fengshan(present-day Gaoxiong) and,
Zhuluo (present-day Jaiyi). In 1714 (53rd year of the reign
of Emperor Kangxi) the Qing government ordered the mapping
of Taiwan to determine its size. In 1721 (60th year of the
reign of Emperor Kangxi) an office of imperial supervisor
for inspecting Taiwan was created and the Taiwan-Xiamen
Patrol command was renamed Prefecture Administration of
Taiwan and Xiamen, incorporating the subsequently-created
Zhanghua County and Danshui Canton. In 1727 (5th year of the
reign of Emperor Yongzheng) the administration on the island
was reconstituted as the Prefecture Administration of Taiwan
(which was later renamed Prefecture Command for Patrol of
Taiwan) and incorporated the new Penghu Canton. The
territory then became officially known as Taiwan. In order
to upgrade the administration of Taiwan, the Qing government
created Taibei Prefecture, Jilong Canton and three counties
of Danshui, Xinzhu and Yilan in 1875 (1st year of the reign
of Emperor Guangxu). In 1885 (11th year of the reign of
Emperor Guangxu), the government formally made Taiwan a full
province covering three prefectures and one sub-prefecture
and incorporating 11 counties and 5 cantons. Liu Mingchuan
was appointed first Governor of Taiwan. During his tenure of
office, railways were laid, mines opened, telegraph service
installed, merchant ships built, industries started and
new-style schools set up. Considerable social, economic and
cultural advancement in Taiwan was achieved as a
result.
After the Chinese people's victory in
the war against Japanese aggression in 1945, the Chinese
government reinstated its administrative authority in Taiwan
Province.
Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan
Straits carried out a prolonged, unremitting struggle
against foreign invasion and occupation of Taiwan. Since the
late 15th century Western colonialists started to grab and
conquer colonies in a big way. In 1624 (4th year of the
reign of Ming Emperor Tianqi) Dutch colonialists invaded and
occupied the southern part of Taiwan. Two years later
Spanish colonialists seized the northern part of Taiwan. In
1642 (l5th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Chongzhen) the
Dutch evicted the Spaniards and took over north Taiwan. The
Chinese people on both sides of the Straits waged various
forms of struggle including armed insurrections against the
invasion and occupation of Taiwan by foreign colonialists.
In 1661 (l8th year of the reign of Qing Emperor Shufizhi)
General Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) led an expedition to
Taiwan and expelled the Dutch colonialists from the island
in the following year.
Japan launched a war of
aggression against China in l894 (20th year of the reign of
Qing Emperor Guangxu). In the ensuing year, as a result of
defeat the Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of
Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan to Japan. This wanton betrayal
and humiliation shocked the whole nation and touched off a
storm of protests. A thousand or more candidates from all 18
provinces including Taiwan who had assembled in Beijing for
the Imperial Examination signed a strongly-worded petition
opposing the ceding of Taiwan. In Taiwan itself, people
wailed and bemoaned the betrayal and went on general
strikes. General Liu Yongfu and others of the garrison
command stood with Taiwan compatriots and put up a fierce
fight against the Japanese landing forces. To support this
struggle, people on the mainland, particularly in the
southeastern region, showed their solidarity by generous
donations or organizing volunteers to Taiwan to fight the
Japanese forces. Taiwan compatriots never ceased their
dauntless struggle throughout the Japanese occupation.
Initially, they formed insurgent groups to wage guerrilla
warfare for as long as seven years. When the Revolution of
1911 overthrew the Qing monarchy they in turn lent support
to their mainland compatriots by staging more than a dozen
armed insurrections. The 1920s and 1930s witnessed surging
waves of mass action sweeping across the island against
Japanese colonial rule.
In 1937 the Chinese
people threw themselves into an all-out war of resistance
against Japanese aggression. In its declaration of war
against Japan, the Chinese Government proclaimed that all
treaties, conventions, agreements, and contracts regarding
relations between China and Japan, including the Treaty of
Shimonoseki, had been abrogated. The declaration stressed
that China would recover Taiwan, Penghu and the four
northeastern provinces. After eight years of grueling war
against Japanese aggression the Chinese people won final
victory and recovered the lost territory of Taiwan in 1945.
Taiwan compatriots displayed an outburst of passion and
celebrated the great triumph of their return to the fold of
the motherland by setting off big bangs of fireworks and
performing rites to communicate the event to their
ancestors.
The international community has
acknowledged the fact that Taiwan belongs to China. The
Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese
aggression, being part of the world-wide struggle against
Fascism, received extensive support from people all over the
world. During the Second World War China, the United States,
the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and others formed an
alliance to oppose the Axis of Germany, Japan and Italy. The
Cairo Declaration issued by China, the United States and
Great Britain on 1 December 1943 stated: "It is the
purpose of the three great Allies that Japan shall be
stripped of all the islands in the Pacific which she has
seized or occupied since the beginning of the First World
War in 1914, and that all the territories Japan has stolen
from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Formosa [Taiwan] and
the Pescadores [Penghu], shall be restored to China."
The Potsdam Proclamation signed by China, the United States
and Great Britain on 26 July 1945 (subsequently adhered to
by the Soviet Union) reiterated: "The terms of the
Cairo Declaration shall be carried out." On 15 August
of the same year, Japan declared surrender. The instrument
of Japan's surrender stipulated that "Japan hereby
accepts the provisions in the declaration issued by the
heads of the Governments of the United States, China and
Great Britain on July 26, 1945 at Potsdam, and subsequently
adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"
On 25 October the ceremony for accepting Japan's surrender
in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied
powers was held in Taibei. On the occasion the chief officer
for accepting the surrender proclaimed on behalf of the
Chinese government that from that day forward Taiwan and the
Penghu Archipelago had again been incorporated formally into
the territory of China and that the territory, people, and
administration had now been placed under the sovereignty of
China. From that point in time forward, Taiwan and Penghu
had been put back under the jurisdiction of Chinese
sovereignty.
Since the founding of the People's
Republic of China, 157 countries have established diplomatic
relations with China. All these countries recognize that
there is only one China and that the Government of the
People's Republic of China is the sole legal government of
China and Taiwan is part of
China.
II. Origin
of the Taiwan
Question
Taiwan was
returned to China de jure and de facto at the end of the
Second World War. It became an issue only as an aftermath of
the ensuing anti-popular civil war started by Kuomintang,
and more especially because of intervention by foreign
forces.
Taiwan question and civil war launched
by Kuomintang. During the war of resistance against Japanese
aggression the Chinese Communist Party and other patriotic
groups pressed Kuomintang into a national united front with
the Communist Party to fight Japanese imperialist
aggression. After victory of the war the two Parties should
have joined hands to work for the resurgence of China. But
the Kuomintang clique headed by Chiang Kai-shek flouted the
people's fervent aspirations for peace and for building an
independent, democratic and prosperous new China. Relying on
U.S. support, this clique tore up the 10 October 1945
agreement between the two Parties and launched an all-out
anti-popular civil war. The Chinese people were compelled to
respond with a people's liberation war which was to last
more than three years under the leadership of the Communist
Party. Since the Kuomintang clique had already been spurned
by the people of all nationalities for its reign of terror,
the government of the "Republic of China" in
Nanjing was finally overthrown by the Chinese people. The
People's Republic of China was proclaimed on 1 October 1949
and the Government of the new People's Republic became the
sole legal government of China. A group of military and
political officials of the Kuomintang clique took refuge in
Taiwan and, with the support of the then U.S.
administration, created the division between the two sides
of the Straits.
Taiwan question and
responsibility of the United States. Against the backdrop of
East-West confrontation in the wake of the Second World War
and guided by its conceived global strategy and national
interest considerations, the U. S. government gave full
support to the Kuomintang, providing it with money, weapons
and advisors to carry on the civil war and block the advance
of the Chinese people's revolution. However, the U.S.
government never achieved its objective. The White Paper on
United States Relations with China released by the
Department of State in 1949 and Secretary of State Dean.
After victory of the war the two Acheson's letter of
transmittal to President Harry S. Truman had to admit this.
Dean Acheson lamented in his letter: "The unfortunate
but inescapable fact is that the ominous result of the civil
war in China was beyond the control of the government of the
United States. … Nothing that was left undone by this
country has contributed to it. It was the product of
internal Chinese forces, forces which this country tried to
influence but could not."
At the time of
the founding of the People's Republic of China the then U.S.
administration could have pulled itself from the quagmire of
China's civil war. But it failed to do so. Instead, it
adopted a policy of isolation and containment of New China.
When the Korean War broke out, it started armed intervention
in the inter-Taiwan Straits relations which were entirely
China's internal affairs. On 27 June 1950 President Truman
announced: ''I have ordered the Seventh Fleet to prevent any
attack on Formosa.'' Thus the Seventh Fleet invaded the
Taiwan Straits and the U.S. 13th Air Force set up base in
Taiwan. In December 1954 the U.S. concluded with the Taiwan
authorities a so-called mutual defense treaty placing
China's Taiwan Province under U.S. ''protection''. The
erroneous policy of the U.S. government of continued
interference in China's internal affairs led to prolonged
and intense confrontation in the Taiwan Straits area and
henceforth the Taiwan question became a major dispute
between China and the United States.
In order
to ease tension in the Taiwan Straits area and seek ways of
solving the dispute between the two countries, the Chinese
Government started dialogues with the United States from the
mid-1950s onwards. The two countries held 136 sessions of
talks at ambassadorial level from August 1955 to February
1970. However, no progress had been made in that period on
the key issue of easing and removing tension in the Taiwan
Straits area. It was not until late 1960s and early 1970s
when the international situation had undergone changes and
as New China had gained in strength that the U.S. began to
readjust its China policy and the relations between the two
countries started a thawing. In October 1971 the United
Nations General Assembly adopted at its 26th session
Resolution 2758 which restored all the lawful rights of the
People's Republic of China in the United Nations and
expelled the ''representatives'' of the Taiwan authorities
from the U.N. U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China in
February 1972 in the course of which the two countries
issued a joint communiqué in Shanghai stating that:
''The U.S. side declared: the United States acknowledges
that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait
maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of
China. The United States Government does not challenge that
position.''
In December 1978 the U.S.
Government accepted the three principles proposed by the
Chinese Government for the establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two countries, namely, the United
States should sever ''diplomatic relations'' and abrogate
the ''mutual defense treaty'' with the Taiwan authorities
and withdraw U.S. military forces from Taiwan. On I January
1979 China and the United States formally established
diplomatic relations. The communiqué on the
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations said that: ''The
United States of America recognizes the Government of the
People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of
China. Within this context, the people of the United States
will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial
relations with the people of Taiwan. 厖 The Government
of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese
position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of
China. '' Normalization of Sino-U.S. relation was thus
achieved.
Regrettably, however, scarcely three
months after the event, a so-called Taiwan Relations Act was
passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the
President. A domestic legislation of the U.S. as it was,
this Act contained many clauses that contravened the
communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations
between China and the U.S. and the principles of
international law, and seriously prejudiced the rights and
interests of the Chinese people. Invoking this legislation,
the U.S. Government has continued its arms sales to Taiwan,
interference in China's internal affairs and obstruction to
Taiwan's reunification with the mainland.
In
order to resolve the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the
Chinese and the U.S. governments negotiated and reached an
agreement on 17 August 1982. A communiqué bearing the
same date became the third joint communiqué governing
Sino-U.S. relations. In that communiqué the U.S.
Government stated that: ''It does not seek to carry out a
long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms
sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in
quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent
years since the establishment of diplomatic relations
between the United States and China and that it intends
gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading,
over a period of time, to a final resolution.'' Yet in the
past dozen or more years the U.S. Government has not only
failed to implement the communiqué in earnest, but has
repeatedly contravened it. In September 1992 the U.S.
Government even decided to sell 150 F-16 high-performance
fighter aircraft to Taiwan. This action of the U.S.
Government has added a new stumbling block in the way of the
development of Sino-U. S. relations and settlement of the
Taiwan question.
It is clear from the foregoing
that the U.S. Government is responsible for holding up the
settlement of the Taiwan Question. Since the 1970s many
Americans of vision and goodwill in or outside the
administration have contributed much by way of helping to
resolve the differences between China and the U.S. on the
Taiwan question. The aforesaid three joint communiqué
testify to their effort and contribution of which the
Chinese Government and people are highly appreciative. On
the other hand, one cannot fail to note that there are
people in the U.S. who still do not want to see a reunified
China. They have cooked up various pretexts and exerted
influence to obstruct the settlement of the Taiwan
question.
The Chinese Government is convinced
that the American and the Chinese peoples are friendly to
each other and that the normal development of the relations
between the two countries accords with the long-term
interests and common aspiration of both peoples. Both
countries should cherish the three hard-won joint
communiqué guiding the development of bilateral
relations. As long as both sides abide by the principles
enshrined in those communiqué, respect each other and
set store by their overall common interests, it will not be
difficult to settle the Taiwan question that has been left
over from history and Sino-U.S. relations will surely see
steady improvement and development
ahead.
III. The
Chinese Government's Basic Position Regarding Settlement of
the Taiwan Question
To
settle the Taiwan question and achieve national
reunification -- this is a sacrosanct mission of the entire
Chinese people. The Chinese Government has persistently
worked towards this end since the founding of the People's
Republic. Its basic position on this question is: peaceful
reunification, one country, two systems.
Peaceful reunification; one country, two
systems -- how has this position been formulated? The
Chinese Government conceived a peaceful settlement of the
Taiwan question as early as in the 1950s. In May 1955 the
late Premier Zhou Enlai said at a NPC Standing Committee
meeting that two alternatives were open to the Chinese
people for the solution of the Taiwan question -- by resort
to war or by peaceful means. The Chinese people would strive
for a peaceful solution wherever possible, he affirmed. In
April 1956 the late Chairman Mao Zedong put forward thoughts
for policy-making such as ''peace is the best option'',
''all patriots are of one family'' and ''it is never too
late to join the ranks of patriots''. However, those wishes
have not come to fruition for reasons such as interference
by foreign forces.
Major changes took place in
and outside China in the 1970s. Diplomatic ties were
established and relations normalized between China and the
United States. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleven
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to
shift the focus of the work of the Party and the State to
the economic modernization programme. In the meantime,
people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, compatriots of
Hong Kong and Macao as well as overseas Chinese and people
of Chinese descent all expressed their fervent hope that the
two sides of the Straits would join hands to work for a
resurgence of China. It was against this historical
background that the Chinese Government formulated the
position of ''peaceful reunification; one country, two
systems''. The position takes the overall national interests
and the future of the country into consideration. It
respects history as well as the prevailing situation. It is
realistic and takes care of the interests of
all.
On 1 January 1979 the Standing Committee
of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic
of China issued a message to compatriots in Taiwan,
pronouncing the Chinese Government's basic position
regarding peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question. It
called for the holding of talks between the two sides of the
Straits to seek an end to the military confrontation. It
pledged that in the pursuit of national reunification, the
Government ''will respect the status quo on Taiwan and the
views of people of all walks of life there and adopt
reasonable polices and measures''.
In a
statement on 30 September 1981 the late Chairman Ye Jianying
of the NPC Standing Committee further elaborated the policy
and principles for the settlement of the Taiwan question. He
affirmed that ''after the country is reunified, Taiwan can
enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative
region'' and proposed that talks be held on an equal footing
between the ruling Parties on each side of the Straits,
namely, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang.
Referring to Ye Jianying's remarks, Chinese
leader Deng Xiaoping pointed out on 11 January 1982 that
this in effect meant ''one country, two systems'', i.e., on
the premise of national reunification, the main body of the
nation would continue with its socialist system while Taiwan
could maintain capitalism.
On 26 June 1983
Deng Xiaoping further enunciated the concept of peaceful
reunification, stressing that the crucial point was national
reunification. He went on to expound the Government's policy
on reunification and on the creation of a Taiwan special
administrative region.
On 12 October 1992
General Secretary Jiang Zemin of the CPC Central Committee
pointed out: ''We shall work steadfastly for the great
cause, adhering to the principles of peaceful reunification
and 'one country, two systems' 厖 We reiterate that
the Chinese Communist Party is ready to establish contact
with the Chinese Kuomintang at the earliest possible date to
create conditions for talks on officially ending the state
of hostility between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits and
gradually realizing peaceful reunification. Representatives
from other parties, mass organizations and all circles on
both sides of the Taiwan Straits could be invited to join in
such talks. ''
Basic Contents of ''peaceful
reunification; one country, two Systems''. This position is
an important component of the theory and practice of
building socialism with Chinese characteristics and a
fundamental state policy of the Chinese Government which
will not change for a long time to come. Its basic contents
are as follows:
1. Only one China. There is
only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part
of China and the seat of China's central government is in
Beijing. This is a universally recognized fact as well as
the premise for a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan
question.
The Chinese Government is firmly
against any words or deeds designed to split China's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. It opposes ''two
Chinas'', ''one China, one Taiwan'', ''one country, two
governments'' or any attempt or act that could lead to
''independence of Taiwan''. The Chinese people on both sides
of the Straits all believe that there is only one China and
espouse national reunification. Taiwan's status as an
inalienable part of China has been determined and cannot be
changed. ''Self determination'' for Taiwan is out of the
question.
2. Coexistence of two systems. On the
premise of one China, socialism on the mainland and
capitalism on Taiwan can coexist and develop side by side
for a long time without one swallowing up the other. This
concept has largely taken account of the actual situation in
Taiwan and practical interests of our compatriots there. It
will be a unique feature and important innovation in the
state system of a reunified China.
After
reunification, Taiwan's current socio-economic system, its
way of life as well as economic and cultural ties with
foreign countries can remain unchanged. Private property,
including houses and land, as well as business ownership,
legal inheritance and overseas Chinese and foreign
investments on the island will all be protected by
law.
3. A high degree of autonomy. After
reunification, Taiwan will become a special administrative
region. It will be distinguished from the other provinces or
regions of China by its high degree of autonomy. It will
have its own administrative and legislative powers, an
independent judiciary and the right of adjudication on the
island. It will run its own party, political, military,
economic and financial affairs. It may conclude commercial
and cultural agreements with foreign countries and enjoy
certain rights in foreign affairs. It may keep its military
forces and the mainland will not dispatch troops or
administrative personnel to the island. On the other hand,
representatives of the government of the special
administrative region and those from different circles of
Taiwan may be appointed to senior posts in the central
government and participate in the running of national
affairs.
4. Peace negotiations. It is the
common aspiration of the entire Chinese people to achieve
reunification of the country by peaceful means through
contacts and negotiations. People on both sides of the
Straits are all Chinese. It would be a great tragedy for all
if China's territorial integrity and sovereignty were to be
split and its people were to be drawn into a fratricide.
Peaceful reunification will greatly enhance the cohesion of
the Chinese nation. It will facilitate Taiwan's
socio-economic stability and development and promote the
resurgence and prosperity of China as a
whole.
In order to put an end to hostility and
achieve peaceful reunification, the two sides should enter
into contacts and negotiations at the earliest possible
date. On the premise of one China, both sides can discuss
any subject, including the modality of negotiations, the
question of what Parties, groups and personalities may
participate as well as any other matters of concern to the
Taiwan side. So long as the two sides sit down and talk,
they will always be able to find a mutually acceptable
solution.
Taking into account the prevailing
situation on both sides of the Straits, the Chinese
Government has proposed that pending reunification the two
sides should, according to the principle of mutual respect,
complementarity and mutual benefit, actively promote
economic cooperation and other exchanges. Direct trade,
postal, air and shipping services and two-way visits should
be started in order to pave the way for the peaceful
reunification of the country.
Peaceful
reunification is a set policy of the Chinese Government.
However, any sovereign state is entitled to use any means it
deems necessary, including military ones, to uphold its
sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chinese
Government is under no obligation to undertake any
commitment to any foreign power or people intending to split
China as to what means it might use to handle its own
domestic affairs.
It should be pointed out that
the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China
and bears no analogy to the cases of Germany and Korea which
were brought about as a result of international accords at
the end of the Second World War. Therefore, the Taiwan
question should not be placed on a par with the situation of
Germany or Korea. The Chinese Government has always opposed
applying the German or Korean formulas to Taiwan. The Taiwan
question should and entirely can be resolved judiciously
through bilateral consultations and within the framework of
one China.
IV.
Relations Across Taiwan Straits: Evolution and Stumbling
Blocks
The present
division between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is a
misfortune for the Chinese nation. All the Chinese people
are yearning for an early end to this agonizing
situation.
In order to enable normal movement
of people across the Straits and to achieve reunification of
the country, the Chinese Government has made proposals
towards this end and, at the same time, adopted measures to
step up the development of inter-Straits
relations.
On the political plane, policy
adjustments have been made with a view to breaking down the
mentality of hostility. The Supreme People's Court and the
Supreme People's Procuratorate have decided respectively
that people who had gone to Taiwan would no longer be
prosecuted for offenses prior to the founding of the
People's Republic of China.
On the military
plane, initiatives have been taken to ease military
confrontation across the Straits. Shelling of Jinmen and
other islands have been discontinued. Some forward defense
positions and observation posts along the Fujian coast have
been transformed into economic development zones or tourist
attractions.
On the economic plane, doors have
been flung open to facilitate the flow of goods and people.
Businessmen from Taiwan are welcome to invest or trade on
the mainland. They are accorded preferential treatment and
legal safeguards.
The Chinese Government has
also adopted a positive attitude and taken measures to
encourage bilateral exchanges and cooperation in areas such
as two-way travels, post and communications as well as
scientific, cultural, sports, academic and journalistic
activities. A non-governmental Association for Relations
Across the Taiwan Straits has been set up and authorized by
the Government to liaise with the Straits Exchange
Foundation and other relevant non-governmental bodies in
Taiwan for the purpose of upholding the legitimate rights
and interests of people on both sides and promoting
inter-Straits relations.
Such policies and
measures of the Chinese Government have won the
understanding and support of more and more Taiwan
compatriots, compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao as well as
overseas Chinese and people of Chinese descent. On their
part, Taiwan compatriots have contributed tremendously to
the development of inter-Straits relations. In recent years
the Taiwan authorities have in turn made readjustments in
their policy regarding the mainland. They have taken steps
to ease the situation, such as allowing people to visit
relatives on the mainland, gradually reducing the
restrictions on people-to-people exchanges and contact,
expanding indirect trade, permitting indirect investment and
cutting red tape in inter-Straits post, telecommunications
and bank remittance services. All these are conducive to
better interchanges. The past few years have witnessed rapid
growth of economic relations and trade as well as increasing
mutual visits and sundry exchanges across the Straits. The
Wang Daohan--Koo Chen-fu Talks in April 1993 resulted in
four agreements, marking a step forward of historic
significance in inter-Straits relations. Thus an atmosphere
of relaxation prevails in the Taiwan Straits for the first
time in the past four decades. This is auspicious to
peaceful reunification.
It should be pointed
out that notwithstanding a certain measure of easing up by
the Taiwan authorities, their current policy vis-a-vis the
mainland still seriously impedes the development of
relations across the Straits as well as the reunification of
the country. They talk about the necessity of a reunified
China, but their deeds are always a far cry from the
principle of one China. They try to prolong Taiwan's
separation from the mainland and refuse to hold talks on
peaceful reunification. They have even set up barriers to
curb the further development of the interchanges across the
Straits.
In recent years the clamours for
''Taiwan independence'' on the island have become shriller,
casting a shadow over the course of relations across the
Straits and the prospect of peaceful reunification of the
country. The ''Taiwan independence'' fallacy has a complex
social-historical root and international background. But the
Taiwan authorities have, in effect, abetted this fallacy by
its own policy of rejecting peace negotiations, restricting
interchanges across the Straits and lobbying for ''dual
recognition'' or ''two Chinas'' in the international arena.
It should be affirmed that the desire of Taiwan compatriots
to run the affairs of the island as masters of their own
house is reasonable and justified. This should by no means
be construed as advocating ''Taiwan independence''. They are
radically distinct from those handful of ''Taiwan
independence'' protagonists who trumpet ''independence'' but
vilely rely on foreign patronage in a vain attempt to detach
Taiwan from China, which runs against the fundamental
interests of the entire Chinese people including Taiwan
compatriots. The Chinese Government is closely following the
course of events and will never condone any manoeuvre for
''Taiwan independence''.
Certain foreign forces
who do not want to see a reunified China have gone out of
their way to meddle in China's internal affairs. They
support the anti-Communist stance of the Taiwan authorities
of rejecting peace talks and abet the secessionists on the
island, thereby erecting barriers to China's peaceful
reunification and seriously wounding the national feelings
of the Chinese people.
The Chinese Government
is convinced that Taiwan compatriots want national
reunification and that this is also true with most of the
political forces in or out of office in Taiwan. The people
on both sides of the Straits will overcome all the barriers
and stumbling blocks by their joint efforts and ensure a
better development of relations across the
Straits.
V.
Several Questions Involving Taiwan in International
Relations
As has been
elucidated in the foregoing, there is only one China in the
world, of which Taiwan is an inalienable part. The
Government of the People's Republic of China has been
recognized by the United Nations and throughout the world as
the sole legal government representing the entire Chinese
people. In the interest of safeguarding state sovereignty
and realizing national reunification the Chinese Government
has always stood firm on the principle of one China and
ensured the interests of Taiwan compatriots in international
relations involving Taiwan. The Chinese Government has no
doubt that its position will be respected by all other
governments and people.
The Chinese Government
deems it necessary to reiterate its position and policy on
the following matters.
(1) Relations
between Taiwan and countries maintaining diplomatic ties
with China
All countries maintaining
diplomatic relations with China have, in conformity with
international law and the principle of one China, undertaken
in formal agreement or understanding with the Chinese
Government not to establish any ties of an official nature
with Taiwan. According to international law, a sovereign
state can only be represented by a single central
government. As a part of China, Taiwan has no right to
represent China in the international community, nor can it
establish diplomatic ties or enter into relations of an
official nature with foreign countries. Nevertheless,
considering the needs of Taiwan's economic development and
the practical interests of Taiwan compatriots, the Chinese
Government has not objected to non-governmental economic or
cultural exchanges between Taiwan and foreign
countries.
In recent years the Taiwan
authorities have vigorously launched a campaign of
''pragmatic diplomacy'' to cultivate official ties with
countries having diplomatic relations with China in an
attempt to push ''dual recognition'' and achieve the
objective of creating a situation of ''two Chinas'' or ''one
China, one Taiwan''. The Chinese Government is firmly
against this scheme.
It is noted that the
overwhelming majority of the countries of the world cherish
friendly relations with China and abide by their agreement
or understanding with China on the issue of Taiwan. The
Chinese Government appreciates this. On the other hand, it
should be pointed out that, in disregard of their
international credibility, certain countries have breached
the undertaking made at the time of the establishment of
diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China by
evolving official relations with Taiwan, thereby putting a
spoke in the wheel of China's reunification. The Chinese
Government sincerely hopes that the governments in question
will take measures to rectify the
situation.
(2) Relations between
international organizations and
Taiwan
The sovereignty of each State
is an integral whole which is indivisible and unsharable.
The Government of the People's Republic of China, as the
sole legal government of China, has the right and obligation
to exercise state sovereignty and represent the whole of
China in international organizations. The Taiwan
authorities' lobbying for a formula of ''one country, two
seats'' in international organizations whose membership is
confined to sovereign states is a manoeuvre to create ''two
Chinas''. The Chinese Government is firmly opposed to such
an attempt. Its principled position fully conforms to the
fundamental interests of the entire Chinese people including
Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese. Only on the premise
of adhering to the principle of one China and in the light
of the nature and statutes of the international
organizations concerned as well as the specific
circumstances, can the Chinese Government consider the
question of Taiwan's participation in the activities of such
organizations and in a manner agreeable and acceptable to
the Chinese Government.
All the specialized
agencies and organizations of the United Nations system are
inter-governmental organizations composed of sovereign
states. After the restoration of the lawful rights of the
People's Republic of China in the United Nations, all the
specialized agencies and organizations of the U.N. system
have formally adopted resolutions restoring to the People's
Republic of China its lawful seat and expelling the
''representatives'' of the Taiwan authorities. Since then
the issue of China's representation in the U.N. system has
been resolved once and for all and Taiwan's re-entry is out
of the question. However, it should be pointed out that
recently some elements of the Taiwan authorities have been
clamouring for ''returning to the United Nations'.
Apparently, this is an attempt to split state sovereignty,
which is devoid of any legal or practical basis. The Chinese
Government is convinced that all governments and
organizations of the U.N. system will be alert to this
scheme and refrain from doing anything prejudicial to
China's sovereignty.
In principle, Taiwan is
also ineligible for membership in other categories of
inter-governmental organizations. As to regional economic
organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Taiwan's
participation is subject to the terms of agreement or
understanding reached between the Chinese Government and the
parties concerned which explicitly prescribe that the
People's Republic of China is a full member as a sovereign
state whereas Taiwan may participate in the activities of
those organizations only as a region of China under the
designation of Taipei, China (in ADB) or Chinese Taipei (in
APEC). This is only an ad hoc arrangement and cannot
constitute a ''model'' applicable to other
inter-governmental organizations or international
gatherings.
As regards participation in
non-governmental international organizations, the relevant
bodies of the People's Republic of China may reach an
agreement or understanding with the parties concerned so
that China's national organizations would use the
designation of China, while Taiwan's organizations may
participate under the designation of Taipei, China or
Taiwan, China.
(3) Aviation services
between Taiwan and counties having diplomatic relations with
China
Airspace is an inalienable part
of a country's territory. The 1919 Paris Aviation Convention
and the 1944 Chicago Convention affirm the principle of
complete and exclusive sovereignty of each country over its
airspace. Therefore, the opening of aviation services with
Taiwan by any airlines, including privately-operated ones,
of countries having diplomatic relations with China is a
political issue affecting China's sovereignty and cannot be
regarded as a non-political transaction. State-run airlines
of countries having diplomatic relations with China
certainly must not operate air services to Taiwan.
Privately-operated airlines must seek China's consent
through consultations between their government and the
Chinese Government before they can start reciprocal air
services with privately-operated airlines of Taiwan. As a
matter of fact, according to the afore-said principle the
Chinese Government has consented to such services between
privately-operated airlines of Britain, Germany, Canada,
etc. and their counterparts in Taiwan.
As for
countries which already had aviation services with Taiwan
before the establishment of diplomatic relations with the
People's Republic of China, they can negotiate with the
Chinese Government to change the official nature of such
services so as to be able to continue the operations as
privately-run commercial transportation
undertakings.
(4) Arms sales to Taiwan
by counties having diplomatic relations with
China
The Chinese Government has
always firmly opposed any country selling any type of arms
or transferring production technology of the same to Taiwan.
All countries maintaining diplomatic relations with China
should abide by the principles of mutual respect for
sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference
in each other's internal affairs, and refrain from providing
arms to Taiwan in any form or under any pretext. Failure to
do so would be a breach of the norms of international
relations and an interference in China's internal
affairs.
All countries, and especially big
powers shouldering major responsibilities for world peace,
are obligated to strictly abide by the guidelines laid down
by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council
to restrict the proliferation of conventional weapons so as
to contribute to maintaining and promoting regional peace
and security. However, at a time when relations across the
Taiwan Straits are easing up, certain powers have seen fit
to renege on their undertakings under international
agreements and to flout the Chinese Government's repeated
strong representations by making arms sales to Taiwan,
thereby whipping up tension between the two sides of the
Straits. This not only constitutes a serious threat to
China's security and an obstacle to China's peaceful
reunification, but also undermines peace and stability in
Asia and the world at large. It stands to reason that the
Chinese people should voice strong resentment against this
conduct.
In international affairs the Chinese
Government always pursues an independent foreign policy of
peace and adheres to the Five Principles of mutual respect
for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual
non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal
affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful
Co-existence. It actively seeks to develop friendly
relations with all countries of the world and will never
undermine any country's interests nor interfere in its
internal affairs. By the same token it expects all other
governments to refrain from undermining China's interests or
interfering in China's internal affairs and to correctly
handle their relations with
Taiwan.
Conclusion
Reunification
of the country embodies the fundamental interest of the
Chinese nation.
After national reunification
the two sides of the Taiwan Straits can pool their resources
and make common cause in economic development and work
towards China's resurgence. Numerous problems that have been
besetting Taiwan would be judiciously resolved within the
framework of one China. Taiwan compatriots will share the
pride and glory of a great nation with their kith and kin
from the other parts of the motherland.
Taiwan
question has long been a destabilizing factor in the
Asia-Pacific region. Reunification of China will not only
bolster the stability and development of the country itself,
but also contribute to the further enhancement of the
friendly relations and cooperation between China and other
countries as well as to peace and development in the
Asia-Pacific region and the world as a
whole.
The Chinese Government is confident that
it can count on the understanding and support of governments
and people of all countries in the pursuit of its just cause
of safeguarding its state sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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