A new white paper released by China on Wednesday reiterates Beijing’s commitment to reunify the self-governing island of Taiwan with the mainland as Beijing continues to extend its military drills near the island.
In a white paper published by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and its State Council Information Office, called “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era,” Beijing declares that “solving the Taiwan issue and realising the complete reunification of the motherland is the common aspiration” of the Chinese population.
The paper states that the Chinese government has “actively and steadily advanced the process of national reunification” under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by President Xi Jinping. It adds that for some time now, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party has “stepped up” its “separatist activities,” with the help of “some external forces,” who have “tried their best to use Taiwan to control China” and prevent it “from achieving complete reunification” with the mainland.
It underscores that Taiwan is “an unquestionable and unchangeable part of China,” as “the deep historical and cultural ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait” have been evidenced by“new archaeological discoveries.” It thus claims that Beijing “fully enjoys and exercises sovereignty over Taiwan.” In this regard, it refers to the Anti-Secession Law passed in March 2005 during the Third Session of the Tenth National People's Congress. The law stipulates that “There is only one China in the world, and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China” and that “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be divided.”
New 🇨🇳white paper on Taiwan:
— Thorsten Benner (@thorstenbenner) August 10, 2022
"Never before have we been so close to, confident in, & capable of achieving ... our goal of complete national reunification".
"But we will not renounce use of force, and we reserve option of taking all necessary measures".
We have been notified. pic.twitter.com/9e7bEEiL0h
The paper adds that Taiwan has “no basis, reason or right” to participate in international organisations such as the United Nations, as “only sovereign states” can be a party to them. “Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly is a political document that embodies the one-China principle. International practice has fully confirmed its legal validity and cannot be misinterpreted,” it argues.
Against this backdrop, the paper says that the CPC “has always regarded resolving the Taiwan issue” and realising the “complete reunification” of the “motherland” as its “unswerving historical mission.” It declares, “China's sovereignty and territory have never been divided and will never be allowed to be divided, and Taiwan's status as part of China's territory has never changed and will never be allowed to change.”
Further expounding on its reason for reunification, Beijing says that only by realising “complete reunification” can the country “avoid the danger of Taiwan being occupied by foreign countries again, defeat the attempts of external forces to contain China, and safeguard national sovereignty” and “eliminate the hidden danger of Taiwan independence.”
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It also warned that “separatist forces will not succeed in resisting reunification.” “Separating and resisting reunification…will never pass the test of the history. It is absolutely impossible to succeed,” it said. To this end, it pledged to “resolutely smash” Taiwan independence separatist forces and oppose attempts at foreign interference.
The paper’s release comes against the backdrop of China’s military announcing a fresh round of military drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, two days after it was scheduled to complete its largest-ever exercises to protest the United States (US) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. China’s increased aggression against the island has given rise to fears that Beijing may attempt to reunify the island with the mainland sooner than the 2027 target that experts have predicted.