Since 1993, Taiwan authorities have spent huge amounts of money annually to buy over and instigate a very few "countries with diplomatic relations" to set forth a proposal on so-called Taiwan "participation in the United Nations". They constantly played new tricks, either demanding "examination of Taiwan's special international circumstance", or the "exclusion of Taiwan from membership of the United Nations is discrimination against Taiwan people". They called black white and confused right and wrong as they tried to win over "parallel representation" on the one hand, and alleged that Taiwan was "sovereign state" on the other hand. But their utterances brought little response, thus suffering one defeat after another.

Taiwan authorities have run into snags the 10th time in the farce they staged for "participation in the UN", and yet they make no attempt to correct their mistakes, on the contrary, they have gone from bad to worse. People cannot but ask: What are Taiwan authorities up to? To put it bluntly, they attempt to create "two Chinas", or "one China, one Taiwan" in the international arena, and to plot "Taiwan independence". Recently, Taiwan authorities have obstinately rejected the one-China principle, openly clamored for "one country on each side", "sovereign independence", and vigorously engaged in so-called "offensive diplomacy" and "igniting diplomacy", thus thoroughly exposing their "Taiwan independence" features. Their practice of ignoring overall national interest and acting against the tide of history is unanimously condemned by the Chinese people and the international community. Their attempt cannot succeed.

There is only one China in the world, China's mainland and Taiwan both belong to one China, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China brook no separation. This is the reality universally recognized by the international community and the principle commonly followed. The 2758 Resolution of historic significance passed by the UN General Assembly in 1971 has politically, legally and procedurally solved once for all the question relating to China's representation in the United Nations.

The quintessence of this Resolution is precisely the one-China principle universally recognized by the international community. So-called "question of Taiwan's representation in the UN" is completely concocted by a handful of "Taiwan independence" elements including Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bien. Challenge to the one-China's principle, to the purpose and principle of the United Nations Charter, and to the authority of the UN General Assembly resolutions is legally and morally intolerable, and cannot be endorsed by the entire Chinese people and all justice-upholding countries and people around the world.

The Chinese government pays great attention to the entire Chinese people's, including Taiwan compatriots' participation in and benefit from the activities of the United Nations. We do not object Taiwan compatriots' maintenance of economic, social and cultural ties and exchanges with the international community, but there is absolutely no "space" for "Taiwan independence" activities and "space" for acts designed to split the motherland in the international arena.

We should sternly warn the very few countries which willingly go around and spare no effort to serve Taiwan authorities just for temporary benefit. Any acts aimed to harm China's sovereignty, damage China's territorial integrity and interfere in China's internal affairs can never be tolerated by the Chinese people.

An early solution to the Taiwan issue and realization of full unification of the motherland is the common aspirations of the entire Chinese people and an irresistible tide of history. It is high time for Taiwan authorities' "participation in the United Nations" farce to stop!

(People's Daily September 13, 2002)