On June 20, 2022, Local media PointXpress carried an article authored by Her Excellency Madame Zhang Yanling, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Antigua and Barbuda, titled “Understanding the Taiwan question and the one-China principle” which elaborates on the Taiwan question and one-China principle. The full text is as follows:

Recently, I noticed from the local media, that a few reports by certain news agencies such as BBC twisted facts on the Taiwan question, which made me feel obliged to share some key points on this important matter with our Antiguan and Barbudan friends.

Territorial integrity is the most fundamental right granted to a sovereign state by the basic norms governing international relations. To understand the Taiwan question, it’s important to know about two basic facts. First, Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. Second, the Taiwan question is an internal affair of China.

Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. As early as in the mid-12th century, the government of the Chinese Song Dynasty has established an administrative body to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan. Taiwan’s last colonial rule was from 1895 to 1945 by Japan. The Cairo Declaration issued by the governments of China, the United States and Great Britain in 1943 clearly stated that all Chinese territories Japan occupied, such as Manchuria, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, shall be restored to China. This provision was confirmed and reiterated in the Potsdam Proclamation issued in 1945.

The current special state of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits remain in protracted political confrontation is the result of China’s civil war and the interference of foreign forces.

For quite a long time, the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory was not an issue at all for the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. However, since 1990s, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have abetted the growth of separatist forces for “Taiwan independence”, refused to recognize the one-China principle and attempted to change the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one and the same China. The DPP authorities have sought to create “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” to misrepresent Taiwan’s history and sever Taiwan’s roots. It is from then that the Cross-Straits relations have become strained and volatile.

 There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is the core concept of the one-China principle. A total of 181 countries have recognized this principle and established diplomatic relations with China. Regrettably, certain countries have since breached their own commitments by condoning the separatist force for “Taiwan independence”, easing constraints on official exchanges with Taiwan, and helping Taiwan to expand its so-called “international space”. Such moves gravely violate the basic norms of international relations and put the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits in serious jeopardy.

The two sides across the Taiwan Straits share the same historical, cultural roots and a close kinship. One chapter of a well-known poem in China reads, “…Nostalgia becomes a shallow strait/ Me on this side / Mainland on the other side.”, reflecting the poet’s eagerness for reunification of the motherland and reunion of the family.

We have been and will continue to work with the greatest sincerity and exert utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification.  Meanwhile, we are firmly opposed to the separatist activities for “Taiwan independence” and external interference and are resolved to safeguard our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. China’s normal military activities in the Taiwan Straits are necessary operations for the above-mentioned purposes, as well as solemn response to separatist provocations and external interference.

Since China and Antigua and Barbuda established  diplomatic ties in 1983, both sides have always adhered to the principle of respecting each other’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Over the past 39 years, despite changes in the international landscape, China has respected the development path independently chosen by the Antiguan and Barbudan people, and the successive Governments of Antigua and Barbuda have supported the one-China principle. The bilateral relations of our two countries have made significant progress and the friendship between our peoples constantly deepened. 

On the political basis of observing the one-China principle, China is committed to continuously being a sincere friend and a reliable partner to Antigua and Barbuda. It is also our hope that friends in Antigua and Barbuda continue to support China’s national reunification endeavor.