By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
After the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region, the U.S., on the one hand, claimed that it “does not seek and will not provoke a crisis,” and has “exercised great restraint,” and on the other hand, accused China of launching justifiable and reasonable countermeasures, describing them as “very aggressive.”
Such hypocrisy cannot hide the U.S. intention to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait through political provocation.
The U.S. has constantly obscured, hollowed out and distorted the one-China principle over years, slipping its own agenda in its one-China “policy.”
It adopted the so-called “Taiwan Relations Act” and “Six Assurances;” connived in Pelosi’s visit and claimed she had the right to do so; issued a so-called joint statement with its allies to smear China’s justifiable and reasonable countermeasures. Besides, Washington also spread fake information and made irresponsible remarks at the Series of Foreign Ministers’ Meetings on East Asia Cooperation.
Has the U.S. really “exercised great restraint” given all these wrongful and arrogant practices? As a matter of fact, it is just saying so and doing the opposite.
Pelosi’s visit was an awkward political farce. The U.S., keeping fanning the flame to escalate tensions and planning to make a bigger crisis, will only find itself on a collision course with an iron wall of steel forged by the resolution of the Chinese government and people to safeguard their core national interests, and find itself devastated in front of the strong willpower of the international society to safeguard international law, the basic norms governing international relations, and international justice.
The provocation by the outdated hegemonism and power politics will never succeed in today’s world.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the issuance of the Shanghai Communique and the 40th anniversary of the issuance of the August 17 communique. The two communiques, together with the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, constitute the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and their core essence is the one-China principle.
There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
The U.S. has made a clear commitment of maintaining cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with Taiwan, and promised that it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution.
It is the three China-U.S. joint communiques that have made it possible for the two countries with different social systems and ideologies and at different development stages, to have dialogue and cooperation, and achieve important outcomes that have benefited both sides and the world at large.
However, the U.S. has broken its commitment and backpedaled on the one-China principle, insisting on containing China’s development with the Taiwan question, which severely impacted its bilateral relations with China. This will not only push Taiwan into a dangerous situation, but also cause grave consequences to the U.S.
Taiwan has been and will always be an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair that brooks no foreign interference. The U.S. scheme to contain China’s development with the Taiwan question, and to disturb and delay the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is purely a daydream.
The Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a long-term struggle, which has provided the cause of national rejuvenation with more robust institutions, stronger material foundations, and a source of inspiration for taking greater initiative. China’s national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability. The Taiwan question will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality, and China will definitely achieve complete reunification.
The resolve of the Chinese Government and people to achieve reunification of the motherland is as firm as a rock. No one should underestimate the great resolve, the strong will, and the extraordinary ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We urge the U.S. side to conform to the trend of the times, stop its dangerous practices and remarks that escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and follow through on U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks that the U.S. does not seek a new Cold War with China; it does not aim to change China’s system; the revitalization of its alliances is not targeted at China; the U.S does not support “Taiwan independence”; and it has no intention to seek a conflict with China, so as to maintain the stability of China-U.S. relations and peace in the Taiwan Strait, and stop moving even further down the wrong and dangerous path.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
Has U.S. really “exercised great restraint?”
