CG Lin Jing, published on Cape Times, August 3

In her capacity as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States, Ms. Nancy Pelosi visited the Taiwan region of China despite the warnings of China. The visit is a major event of the upgrade of substantive relations between the United States and Taiwan region, and sends out seriously misleading signals to the “Taiwan independence” secessionists. It seriously violates the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-US joint communiques, destroys the political foundations of China-US relations, and impairs China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as undermines the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

There is only one China in the world with Taiwan as aninseparable part of China’s territory. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate governmentunder the name China. This is the core content of the one-Chinaprinciple and it has become the consensus of internationalsociety and basic norm governing international relations. At the26th UN General Assembly in October 1971, the UN General Assembly resolution 2758 resolution was passed and it decided to “restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and torecognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations andin all the organizations related to it”. A total of 181 countries including the United States have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.The Taiwan-related issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, relates to China’s core interests and the sentiment of 1.4 billion Chinese people. China holds firm on this issue and has no room for compromise or concession.

The one-China principle serves as the core message of the three China-US joint communiques, and the prerequisite and bedrock of the establishment and development of China-US relations. In1979, the United States made precise commitments that“The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States willmaintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations withthe people of Taiwan.”The US Congress as one of the branches of the federal government of the United Statesisobliged to conform to the one-China policy of the U.S.Federalgovernment, and no official engagement should be conductedbetween the U.S. and the Taiwan region of China. Ms.Pelosiserves as current Speaker of the House of Representatives of theUnited States and ranks the second to assume the duties ofPresidencyintheUnitedStatespresidentiallineof succession.During her term as the Speaker, all forms of her engagementwith the Taiwan region at any time with any reason will be the grave breaches of one-China policy, serious politicalprovocation to advance the official engagements and substantiverelations between the U.S. and Taiwan, as well as the condoningacts and backing to the“Taiwan independence”secessionists.The Chinese side will by no means to sit idly by, and will haveto take justifiable and necessary countermeasures towards this issue.

The position of the Chinese government and people on Taiwanrelated issues is consistent. Resolutely safeguarding China'snational sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will ofthe more than 1.4 billion Chinese people.Realizing China'scomplete reunification is a shared aspiration and a sacred dutyof all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation.The publicopinion cannot be defied. China will take firm and strongmeasures to defend the national sovereignty and territorialintegrity, and the US and“Taiwan independence”separatistforces have to bear all the serious consequences arising thereof.

The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair that brooks no foreign interference. China will continue urging the US to stop playing the“Taiwan card”to contain China, stop interfering in Taiwan issue and China’s internal affairs, stop emboldening“Taiwan independence” separatist forces, stop hollowing out theone-China principle. The US should honor the one-Chinaprinciple and implement the three China-US joint communiquésboth in word and in deed,follow through on the commitmentsmade by President Biden that the US does not seek a new ColdWar with China; it does not aim to change China’s system; therevitalization of its alliances is not targeted at China; the USdoes not support “Taiwan independence”;and it has no intention to seek a conflict with China so as to maintain peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits and safeguard the overall China-U.S. Relations.

As the Chinese government has successively resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and Macao, the people of the whole of China are eager to resolve the Taiwan issue as early as possible and realize the complete reunification of the country. The resolution of the Taiwan issue cannot be postponed indefinitely. We firmly believe that the complete reunification of China will be achieved through the joint efforts of the entire Chinese people including compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and those living overseas.The Chinese government hopes that the international community will follow the principle of one China now and always and that the U.S. government will earnestly fulfil all the principles concerning the Taiwan issue in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, and its solemn promise to uphold the one-China Principle.

China and South Africa are good brothers, good partners and good friends sharing weal and woe. We have forged a profound bond of friendship as early as the anti-apartheid period. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have striven to further deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, support, coordinate and respond to each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. We have supported and learned from each other in exploring development paths suited to our respective national conditions. The China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership has become a fine model for China-Africa relations and South-South cooperation. China highly appreciates the long-standing political commitment of the one-China Policy made by the South African government, as well as the consistently positive attitude and high regard attached by the Three Cape Provincial Governments to bilateral practical cooperation between the two sides.