Some Facts About Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan (3)
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E-mail Xinhua, August 25, 2022
Fact No. 7: Those who abide by the one-China principle are the overwhelming majority of countries in the world. Over 170 countries including ASEAN countries have expressed their commitment to the one-China principle. On this matter, it is the US and very few other countries that are isolated.
According to preliminary statistics, in response to Pelosi’s visit, over 170 countries and international organizations have expressed their strong support for the one-China principle. Governments, political parties and senior officials of over 100 countries and multiple international organizations have publicly stated their support for China in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity. Countries that all together hold more than 80 percent of the world’s population are standing with China, on the right side of history and on the side of fairness and justice. Together, we advocate respecting the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, abiding by the basic norms governing international relations, and resolutely opposing any country’s interference in other countries’ internal affairs and infringement on other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is the mainstream voice of the international community. The US cannot change the reality that an unjust move finds little support.
Both the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General have clearly stated that the UN will continue to abide by UNGA Resolution 2758, the core of which is the one-China principle.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin said at the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security that the US escapade towards Taiwan is not just a voyage by an irresponsible politician, but part of the purpose-oriented and deliberate US strategy designed to destabilize the situation and sow chaos in the region and the world. It is a brazen demonstration of disrespect for other countries and their own international commitments. Russia regards this as a thoroughly planned provocation. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement describing Pelosi’s visit as a clear provocation in keeping with the US’s aggressive policy of comprehensive containment of China. It stated that relations between both sides of the Taiwan Strait are exclusively China’s domestic affair. The Chinese side is entitled to take any measures necessary to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in terms of the Taiwan question. Russia’s principled position remains unchanged: we operate on the premise that there is only one China, the PRC government is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega said that there is only one China in the world, and Pelosi’s visit is tantamount to an invasion of China, which shows that the practice of invasion is in the blood of the Yankee Empire.
Responding to a question from the media, Spokesperson for the DPRK Foreign Ministry said that the impudent interference of the US in internal affairs of other countries and its intentional political and military provocations are, indeed, the root cause of harassed peace and security in the region. Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and the Taiwan question pertains to the internal affairs of China. The DPRK vehemently denounces any external force’s interference in the Taiwan question, and fully supports the Chinese government’s just stand to resolutely defend the sovereignty of the country and territorial integrity. The US scheme to disturb the growth and development of China and its efforts for accomplishing the cause of reunification is bound to go bankrupt.
Spokesperson of the Afghan Interim Government’s Foreign Ministry stressed adherence to the one-China policy and urged all countries to refrain from decisions that are considered a violation of national sovereignty of states and would lay the groundwork for provocative actions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said in a statement that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is an example of the US’s meddlesome behavior in different regions and countries of the world. He noted that this behavior will only intensify instability and stokes differences, and, as such, it is deplorable.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that Syria condemns in the strongest terms the unprecedented escalation and policy of provocation practiced by the US against China. China has the non-negotiable or non-bargaining right to take the measures and steps it decides to defend its right to protect and preserve its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a statement, reaffirming its support for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the importance of respecting the one-China principle, while calling for adherence to relevant UN resolutions. The UAE indicated its concern over the impact of any provocative visits on stability and international peace.
Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that at a time when the flaws and follies of its global policy have become more apparent, and in an attempt to ramp up its policy of containment of China, Washington has concocted the provocative visit of Pelosi to Taiwan with all its perilous ramifications. The latest act is but a continuation of reckless policies that the US administration has pursued in the past years in Asia to advance this singular objective, which is deplorable.
South Africa’s National Assembly House Chairperson said in an interview that the US move is a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, ruining years of efforts in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It will inevitably endanger regional and world peace, stability and development.
Zimbabwean Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcast Services and government spokesperson said that Zimbabwe stands fully behind the People’s Republic of China in the face of the intrusive and provocative visit by Pelosi, which seriously violates the one-China principle.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus said in a statement that it is with deep concern that it has followed an increase in tension provoked by the irresponsible persistence with which the US has been organizing Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Belarus supports the consistent measures taken by China to reunify the country.
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg said that Pelosi’s visit is a useless provocation and that with this trip, there will be no more trust between the US and China. He also reiterated Luxembourg’s support for the one-China policy.
The Vice President of the Senate of Mexico published an article, stating that the illegal visit of Pelosi to Taiwan is an interventionist action that seriously violates other country’s sovereignty and undermines regional peace and stability.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement reiterating its firm rejection to the actions aimed at harming China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning interference in China’s internal affairs, and emphasizing its concern over the increasing tensions and further deterioration of the situation concerning Taiwan as a direct result of the aggressive policy and high military presence of the US and its allies in the Taiwan Strait, and military contacts and regular sale of weapons that undermine international and regional peace.
The Foreign Ministry of the Commonwealth of Dominica said in a statement that many sides and the international community have expressed serious concerns over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and this visit constitutes a serious violation of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said on its Twitter account that Pelosi’s visit is a direct provocation and serious threat to China’s independence and territorial integrity, and Venezuela firmly supports the one-China principle and urges the US to respect China’s sovereignty.
During the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings held in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, ASEAN foreign ministers issued a Statement on the Cross Strait Development, reiterating ASEAN Member States’ support for their respective one-China policy. ASEAN countries have also, through statements of foreign ministries and spokespersons, publicly stressed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and opposed “Taiwan independence” and all attempts to create “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”. They support the Chinese government in upholding sovereignty and territorial integrity and achieving national reunification through peaceful means.
The National Security Advisor of the Philippines said in an interview that the Philippines abides by the one-China policy, which means that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The Philippines will continue to honor the one-China policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore issued a press release on the meeting between Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and State Councilor Wang Yi, in which Balakrishnan states that Singapore has a clear and consistent one-China policy and is opposed to “Taiwan independence” and any unilateral moves to change the status quo, and stresses the need for stable China-US relations, which are vital for peace and security.
Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is causing escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Myanmar opposes any provocative actions causing instabilities in the region and attempts that aim to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Myanmar fully supports the one-China policy and reaffirms that Taiwan is an integral part of the People’s Republic of China.
Spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan may escalate confrontation between China and the US. If not managed well, it may lead to open conflict and disrupt peace and stability, including in the Taiwan Strait. Indonesia continues to respect the one-China policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos released a statement reaffirming its consistent policy of supporting the one-China policy and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, opposing any intention aiming at creating a situation for “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”, and reiterating its firm support for the policy of China on national reunification by peaceful means.
Cambodian government spokesperson said in an interview with China-Cambodia Friendship Radio FM 105 that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan violates the one-China principle and is a provocative move that stirs trouble and could trigger other crises. The whole world is therefore concerned. The Cambodian government highly commends countermeasures taken by China.
The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China released a statement urging Western nations not to practice double standards by trying to compare Taiwan with Ukraine, not to try to encircle Russia and call for respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on one hand while meddle in China’s internal affairs and intend to use Taiwan to divide China on the other. This would be using democracy as a pretext to interfere in and infringe upon China’s sovereignty, which violates basic principles of international law.
Think tanks and media of many countries point out that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan violates the one-China principle, undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and is a seriously provocative move. Pelosi’s provocative move on the Taiwan question leads the US and the world to disorder and instability. Cross-Strait tensions are caused by US encroaching upon the common understanding reached with China.
Singaporean scholar Kishore Mahbubani said that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is reckless, dangerous and irresponsible, and that she is trying to use Taiwan. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned the US to stop its endless confrontations with China. Yet as the No. 3 political figure of the US, Pelosi refused to listen to any of Kissinger’s words and endangered the interests of the US and its people. She fanned the flames in our neighborhood, but refused to bear responsibility for the dangerous consequences she single-handedly created, which should be condemned.
Founder of the French Institute of International Relations Dominique Moisi wrote in a column in Les Echos that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is primarily about her personal image and serving her interests in US Congressional midterm elections. The irresponsible US move has added uncertainties to an already uncertain and fragile world, increasing the risks of the situation spiraling out of control, and risks of complications and war.
German international law scholar and former researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Matthias Hartwig published an article in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung pointing out that the argument that China and Taiwan are two independent countries does not hold water. All attempts to support Taiwan’s separation from China, including Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, constitute interference in China’s internal affairs and violate international law.
A Romanian international politics expert pointed out in a TV interview that Pelosi insisted on going to Taiwan despite strong opposition from the Chinese government and people, with the intention of triggering a geopolitical crisis. The one-China principle is in line with history and law, and is a consensus of the international community. The President of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute said in a video debate that the one-China principle is the political basis on which 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China, and is written in black and white in the three China-US joint communiqués. China’s response to the matter demonstrates rationality and wisdom. The President expressed full support for China’s position. A Romanian political commentator published an article accusing Pelosi of trading peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region for votes, and pointed out that instead of manipulating the Taiwan question to contain China, the US should engage in direct and sincere dialogue.
Fact No. 8: The Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are different in nature. Taiwan is not and has never been a country. It is a part of China. The Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are not comparable at all.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is left over from China’s civil war and purely China’s internal affair. The Ukraine issue is a dispute between two countries, Russia and Ukraine. Some people in the US have deliberately drawn parallels between the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue to mischaracterize the nature of the Taiwan question, an issue which is purely China’s internal affair. This is also their attempt to seek to deny the legitimacy and rationality of the efforts of the Chinese government to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to serve the US’s geostrategic and economic interest at the expense of the welfare of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and regional peace and stability. This fully exposes their political calculation and sinister intention of using Taiwan to contain China.
The ins-and-outs of the Ukraine issue are crystal clear. As the one who started the Ukraine crisis and the biggest factor fueling it, the US led five rounds of NATO eastward expansion over a span of two decades or so since 1999. NATO increased its membership from 16 to 30 countries and pushed its frontier over 1,000 kilometers eastward right up to Russian borders, forcing the latter step by step into the corner. Thomas Friedman, a US media veteran and The New York Times columnist, pointed out in an article that the ill-considered decision by the US to expand NATO led to the deterioration of ties with Russia and the US government deserves much of the blame.
Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the US has done nothing to promote peace talks, but sought to benefit from the crisis through a proxy war. This has led to the continuous escalation of tensions and expanded, prolonged and complicated the conflict. This has fully exposed the selfish nature of the US side.
While stressing respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity on Ukraine, the US has trampled on the red line on the Taiwan question and undermined China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is nothing but sheer double standard.
The rejuvenation and reunification of the country are a surging trend. It is where the greater national interest lies, and it is what the people desire. The CPC has endeavored to pursue the historic mission of resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification. We will work with the greatest sincerity and exert utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification, because this works best for the people on both sides and for our whole nation.
We do not renounce the use of force and reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to guard against external interference and a tiny number of separatists and their separatist activities for “Taiwan independence”. It in no way targets our compatriots in Taiwan. Non-peaceful means will always remain a last resort.
Fact No. 9: China’s sanctions against Pelosi in the wake of her visit to the Taiwan region are justified and lawful. As a sovereign country, China has every right to do so.
The US’s moves to undermine China’s sovereignty and security have outraged the Chinese people and aroused strong opposition from the international community. China has taken the relevant steps in accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. China’s response is also well-founded in international law and beyond reproach.
Numerous facts and figures prove that the US is the most unscrupulous country that abuses sanctions. For a long time, the US has used democracy, human rights and national security as pretexts to impose unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction” on others, to seize geopolitical and economic interests and maintain its hegemony. This has seriously undermined the basic norms in international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It has infringed the relevant countries’ right to development and their people’s right to subsistence.
The US has enacted domestic laws such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and concocted a series of executive orders to directly impose sanctions on specific countries, organizations or individuals. It has arbitrarily expanded the jurisdiction of US domestic laws with ambiguous theories such as the “minimum contact” and “effects principle”, and abused domestic litigation channels to exercise “long-arm jurisdiction” over entities and individuals in other countries.
Statistics show that the previous US administration imposed a total of over 3,900 sanction measures, equivalent to three sanctions on daily average. The number of sanctions designations of the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has grown from 912 in 2000 to 9,421 in October 2021, up by 933 percent. Daniel W. Drezner, Professor at Tufts University and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, published an article in Foreign Affairs in September 2021, saying that the “United States of America” has become a “United States of Sanctions”.
The US frequently uses its global hegemony to arbitrarily slap sanctions on countries it regards as enemies or adversaries. Since 1962, the US has imposed on Cuba the longest and most severe systemic trade embargo, economic blockade and financial sanctions in modern history. As of 2021, the UNGA has adopted resolutions demanding an end of the US embargo of Cuba for 29th consecutive years. However, the US government keeps the embargo regardless of the just voices of the international community. Since late 1970s, the US has imposed long-term blockade and sanctions on Iran. In May 2018, the US government unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and subsequently resumed and added a host of sanctions against Iran. The US has also imposed unilateral sanctions on Belarus, Syria, Zimbabwe and other countries for years, and ramped up “maximum pressure” on the DPRK, Venezuela and other countries.
For a long time, the US has launched economic and financial sanctions against Russia. According to statistics from the Russian State Duma, from 2014 to the beginning of May 2022, the number of sanctions imposed on Russia has reached an unprecedented 10,218, making Russia the most sanctioned country in the world, surpassing Iran. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the US has kept escalating its unilateral sanctions against Russia and coerced the world to take sides. Mikhail Popov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, said that while pressuring European countries into sanctioning Russia, the US increased crude oil imports from Russia and allowed its companies to import Russian mineral fertilizers. The war and sanctions have caused refugees inflow, capital outflow and energy shortage in Europe, but enabled the US to profit and make a fortune.
The US has not hesitated to sanction its allies. In 1982, the US government arrested Hitachi and Mitsubishi employees on the charge of industrial espionage to suppress Japanese high-tech companies. In 2013, the US Department of Justice detained four senior executives of the French company Alstom, forcing the company to sell core businesses such as power and grid to General Electric at low prices. Out of geopolitical and energy-related calculus, the US has imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project since December 2019. In August 2020, in the dispute between the US and the EU over subsidies for Boeing and Airbus, the US announced that it would maintain its previous decision to impose a 15 percent tariff on large civil aircraft of Airbus. In the same month, then US President Donald Trump announced that in order to provide effective means to address the threatened impairment to the US national security from imports of aluminum from Canada, the US would reimpose the 10 percent tariff on imports of some Canadian aluminum. In December, the US government announced sanctions against Türkiye over its “significant transaction” with Russia to procure the S-400 air defense missile system.
In recent years, the US has sanctioned Chinese institutions and personnel under the pretext of issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong, human rights and others which are all China’s internal affairs. It also promulgated and implemented, based on lies and disinformation, the so-called “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act”, which completely prohibits the importation of goods made in Xinjiang. In addition, the US has imposed so-called visa restrictions on more than 96 million CPC members and their families.
The US overstretches the concept of national security, fabricates various excuses, abuses export control measures and uses state power to unreasonably suppress Chinese institutions and enterprises. All these have seriously undermined fair competition, market economy principles and international economic and trade rules. The US has put more than 1,000 Chinese enterprises and institutions on various sanctions lists; designated biotechnology and artificial intelligence as key technologies over which export controls are strengthened and investment reviews intensified; and suppressed social media applications including TikTok and WeChat.
Under the pretext of safeguarding national security and citizens’ privacy, the Trump administration launched a “Clean Network” program. It explicitly requires the removal of Chinese companies such as Huawei, Baidu and Alibaba from telecom carriers, mobile app stores, mobile apps, cloud services and undersea cables.
China opposes illegal unilateral sanctions and believes that sanctions are never the fundamental or effective way to solve problems. Wielding the stick of sanctions will only inflict serious difficulties on the economy and people’s livelihood in the relevant countries. (more)
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