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Diplomacy
OpinionComment
Qin Gang
Qin Gang

Opinion | One-China principle is the bedrock of peace across the Taiwan Strait

  • The US government, while claiming its one-China policy has not changed, has been hollowing it out with actions that will only embolden separatists
  • China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question must be respected

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A statue of Zheng Chenggong, the Chinese Ming dynasty general who recovered Taiwan from the Dutch colonialists in 1662, is seen in Tainan, Taiwan, in February 2012. Photo: Nora Tam
Qin Gang

The one-China principle has been the bedrock of China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This bedrock, however, is in peril like never before.

Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. General Zheng Chenggong is remembered as a national hero for taking back Taiwan from Dutch colonists 360 years ago. Cheng Kung University in Taiwan was named to honour him.

I remember that right after I assumed the ambassadorship, a Taiwan veteran in his 90s told me he wished to see Taiwan return to China in his remaining lifetime and wished he could revisit his hometown on the mainland.

Taiwan and the mainland have been separated due to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. But people of the two sides share the same ancestry and language. They have strong cultural affinity, and their economies are increasingly integrated. In the past decade, cross-strait trade has doubled to US$328.3 billion.

Taiwan-born personal trainer Liu Genghong is now one of the most popular social media influencers on the mainland, with over 60 million followers working out with him. The mainland’s social media applications are widely loved and used by the people of Taiwan.
The Chinese government is committed to peaceful development of cross-strait relations. We have been doing our utmost for a peaceful reunification, as this is in the best interest of the whole nation, including our brothers and sisters in Taiwan. At the same time, not renouncing the use of force is not aimed at the people in Taiwan, but to deter “Taiwan independence” separatists and external interference.
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