Washington (People's Daily) – The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US on Wednesday remarked on Tsai Ing-wen's "transit" and meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The spokesperson reiterated that those who seek to use Taiwan to contain China will hurt themselves. “No individual should underestimate Chinese people's strong determination, firm will, and great capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the spokesperson. The full remarks are as follows:
File photo: Xinhua
In disregard of China's repeated solemn démarches and warnings, the US side has insisted on arranging for Tsai Ing-wen to "transit" in the US and meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as well as bipartisan members of the Congress. This has blatantly violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, violated the US government's commitments on the Taiwan question, and sent a serious wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" forces. China expresses strong protest and firm opposition, and will respond resolutely to the wrong move by the US side.
The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that should never be crossed in this bilateral relationship. Congress, as a part of the US government, is obligated to strictly abide by the foreign policy that the latter has adopted and committed to. House Speaker McCarthy is the third-ranking official in the US government. His meeting with Tsai Ing-wen on US territory is a grave mistake that elevates the official interactions and substantive relationship between the US and Taiwan. Using the Taiwan question for a show with political purposes, the US politicians concerned have acted highly irresponsibly and turned themselves into problem-makers for the China-US relationship and the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
The historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question are all clear. So are the facts and status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. While declaring its commitment to the one-China policy and not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," and not seeking to use the Taiwan question as a tool to contain China, the US side has continued to fudge and hollow out the one-China principle, stepped up official interactions with Taiwan, and carried on arms sales and deepened military connections with Taiwan. The US has been helping Taiwan expand its so-called "international space," deliberately distorting the nature of the Taiwan question of being purely China's internal matter. It has co-opted other countries into meddling with the Taiwan question, hammered out Taiwan-related bills infringing on China's sovereignty, and emboldened “Taiwan independence” separatist forces in bringing tension and volatility to cross-Strait relations. While doing all this, the US side has accused the mainland of "coercion," “pressuring Taiwan" and "unilaterally changing the status quo." This is completely against reality. By so doing, the US side is emboldening “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and obstructing China's efforts toward peaceful reunification.
Tsai Ing-wen's "transit" is not so much a "transit," but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate "Taiwan independence." The DPP authorities have adopted a separatist stance, and colluded with the US side in taking successive provocative moves designed to divide China. Such moves have strained cross-Strait relations, endangered peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and undermined the prospects and space for peaceful reunification. These have become major obstacles to advancing the process of peaceful reunification.
China urges the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, honor the promises that President Joe Biden has made on multiple occasions, stop upgrading its substantive relationship with Taiwan, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, and stop fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle.
China's complete reunification is a process that cannot be halted. Those seeking US support for "Taiwan independence" will be discarded by history. Those who seek to use Taiwan to contain China will hurt themselves. No individual should underestimate Chinese people's strong determination, firm will, and great capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
