China has reaffirmed that there is “only one China in the world”, declaring that the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
In a new position paper on United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, Beijing maintained that the 1971 resolution, which restored China’s seat at the U.N., “once and for all resolved the question of China’s representation, including Taiwan.”
Adopted on October 25, 1971, the resolution recognized the representatives of the PRC as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, while expelling the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek. China argues that the vote “brooks no challenge to its legitimacy, validity, and authority.”
According to the paper, UNGA Resolution 2758 solemnly confirms and fully embodies the one-China principle, whose core meaning includes three key elements:
- There is but one China in the world;
- The Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China’s territory; and
- The PRC Government is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
Beijing said the resolution “makes it clear that there is but one China in the world and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate representative of the whole of China, including the Taiwan region.”
“There is no such thing as ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan,’” the paper stressed.
China noted that the United Nations, as an organization composed only of sovereign states, “accepts only representatives from such states.” Therefore, it argued, Taiwan “has no right to send representatives to the U.N.”
Beijing dismissed assertions that the resolution does not apply to Taiwan because the terms “Republic of China” and “Taiwan” were not explicitly mentioned.
“A handful of external forces have groundlessly asserted that, as the terms ‘Republic of China’ and ‘Taiwan’ did not appear in resolution 2758, the resolution has nothing to do with Taiwan. The fact is that UNGA resolution 2758 completely precluded any possibility of creating ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan,’” the statement read.
U.N. documents affirm Taiwan as part of China
China also cited official U.N. legal opinions, stating that since 1971, “all official U.N. documents have referred to Taiwan as ‘Taiwan, Province of China.’
“The United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status,” the paper said, adding that the authorities in Taipei “are not considered to enjoy any form of government status.”
According to Beijing, UNGA Resolution 2758 serves as the authoritative basis for all U.N. bodies to handle the Taiwan question, underscoring that 183 countries have established diplomatic relations with China based on the one-China principle.
The paper recalled that before the resolution’s adoption, the U.S. and several Western countries had “sustained obstruction” for more than two decades to prevent the PRC from regaining its seat at the U.N.
However, during the 26th UNGA session in 1971, an overwhelming majority of countries supported China’s position, rejecting U.S.-backed proposals that sought to preserve “dual representation” or to treat the expulsion of the Chiang Kai-shek representatives as an “important question.”
“The whole process leading to the adoption of resolution 2758 speaks volumes for the irreversible trend of the international community to uphold the one-China principle,” Beijing said.
“This is not only a victory of the Chinese people, but also a victory of people around the world against hegemonism and power politics.” Beijing stated in the paper
Beijing warns against reversing history
China warned that “to challenge UNGA Resolution 2758 is to challenge the post–World War II international order and the authority of the United Nations.”
“Any attempt to turn back the wheel of history is doomed to fail,” the paper said.
Beijing accused the U.S. and a handful of other countries of “distorting and challenging Resolution 2758” and “laboriously peddling the pernicious falsehood of ‘Taiwan’s status being undetermined’” to expand Taiwan’s so-called “international space.”
The paper described the moves as a “gross violation of the fundamental norms of international relations, including the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs.”
“Taiwan has never been an independent country — not in the past, not at present, and still less in the future,” it added. “China’s sovereignty and territory have never been and shall never be divided.”
Beijing reiterates that any attempt to separate Taiwan from China would be “rejected by the 1.4 billion Chinese people and not supported by the international community.”
