Q: On September 15, the European Parliament passed a resolution, condemning China’s military exercises in response to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and calling on the EU and its member states to strengthen relations with Taiwan. What is your comment?
A: In total disregard of facts, the relevant resolution of the European Parliament is confounding black with white and confusing right with wrong. It made groundless accusations against China for taking justified, necessary and legitimate measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is a serious violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations, and a serious interference in China’s internal affairs. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn it.
The resolution accused China’s measures in response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. However, the basic fact is that the US first made the provocation on the Taiwan question against China, bluntly violating China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The DPP authorities have insisted on seeking “Taiwan independence” through soliciting US support. It is only legitimate, lawful and justified for China to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose secession. The measures taken by China are firm, necessary and measured. The European Parliament chose to criticize the countermeasures taken by China to defend justice and its legitimate rights while turning a blind eye to the US’s provocation and violation of China’s rights. This is typical double standard. It fully exposes the hypocrisy of the European Parliament. If the European Parliament truly cares about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it should first condemn the US and the “Taiwan independence” forces for being provocative and playing with fire.
The UN Charter lays out important principles such as respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs. By taking necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, China is not only exercising its sacred rights under international law, but also defending the basic norms governing international relations. If China does not firmly resist the US’s blatant provocation, the principle of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in international relations will just become empty words. The world would again be ruled by the law of the jungle, and the majority of developing countries and small and medium-sized countries will certainly be the ones to suffer. The European Parliament claimed that the rules-based international order should be maintained. To achieve this, it should first safeguard the basic norms underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and safeguard the principles in international relations of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.
The resolution stressed that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait must not be unilaterally changed. However, the basic fact is that the US keeps violating its commitments in the three China-US joint communiqués and doing its utmost to undermine and pressurize China, exploiting Taiwan as a convenient tool. The DPP authorities have insisted on adopting the “Taiwan independence” separatist stance and conducted successive provocative actions designed to divide the country. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, and Taiwan is part of China. The US and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces are the true culprits who break the status quo and cause tensions in the Taiwan Strait. If the European Parliament truly hopes to maintain the status quo of the Taiwan Strait, it should first stop the US and the Taiwan separatist forces from violating and challenging the one-China principle.
The resolution called for strengthened cooperation between the EU and Taiwan. However, the basic fact is that at the very beginning when China and the EU established diplomatic relations, the EU side made open and clear commitment that it “does not entertain any official relations with Taiwan or have any agreements with it”. Such are binding legal obligations of the EU and its member states.
Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait must be and will surely be reunified. This is the unchangeable trend of history. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair. We will never allow any country to meddle in China’s domestic affairs in any form. We urge the European Parliament to rein in and reverse course, abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, stop meddling in China’s internal affairs, stop sending wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, and take concrete actions to meet the EU’s political commitments on the Taiwan question.