Article by Consul General Huang Ping: Anyone Truly Wishing for a Sound China-US Relationship Shall Refrain from Playing the “Taiwan Card”
2023-03-30 05:58


Taiwan has been part of China’s territory since the ancient times, and it has never been a state, nor will it ever be. This is the real status quo of the Taiwan question. In 1895, Japan launched an invasion against China and forced the then Qing government to cede control of Taiwan. In 1943, the Cairo Declaration stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese shall be restored to China. The UNGA Resolution 2758 adopted in 1971 resolved once and for all the representation of the whole of China, Taiwan included, within the UN. These legally-binding international instruments have fully restored Taiwan to China, both de jure and de facto.

The extreme importance and highly sensitive nature of the Taiwan question to China-US relations can never be stressed enough. As Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qian Gang pointed out in the meeting with the press during this year’s “Two Sessions”, the Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.

The reason why China raises this question to the US is to urge it to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The Chinese people have every right to ask: Why does the US talk at length about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on Ukraine, while disrespecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on China’s Taiwan question? Why does the US ask China not to provide weapons to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan in violation of the August 17 Communiqué? Why does the US keep on professing the maintenance of regional peace and stability, while covertly formulating a “plan for the destruction of Taiwan”?

It is reported that US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is mooting a potential meeting with the Taiwan leader in the US. Heeding no lessons from the mistake made by his predecessor last August and turning a deaf ear to the growing international support for the one-China principle, Mr. McCarthy’s intention of employing the “Taiwan card” again would only result in yet another failure and further jeopardize the bilateral relations. The consequence will be borne by every Chinese and American who is now enjoying the benefits of close people-to-people contacts and interconnected interests between the two sides.

The past half a century proves that China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. During my mission here in the US, it has always been my deepest wish and utmost aspiration to bridge differences between the two nations and facilitate the heart-to-heart connections between the two peoples. As the two sides take steps to ease pandemic-related restrictions, China and the US are about to witness an increasing number of business, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. At this critical juncture, any responsible politicians shall refrain from meddling with the Taiwan question, which will shake the very foundation of China-US relations.