Recently, the U.S. government brazenly announced a large-scale sale of weapons to China's Taiwan region.
This move constitutes gross interference in China's internal affairs and seriously undermines China's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. In response to this grave provocative act by the United States, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced on December 26 that it would adopt countermeasures against 20 U.S. military-related companies and 10 senior executives. Beginning on December 29, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized ground, naval, air, and rocket forces to conduct the “Justice Mission–2025” exercise in areas surrounding the island of Taiwan.
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China’s actions constitute a severe punishment of the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces for seeking independence through the use of force, and a stern warning to external forces that interfere in the matter. They are entirely justified and lawful. The Taiwan question concerns China’s core interests, and there is no room whatsoever for compromise or concession. The United States must clearly recognize that arming Taiwan cannot stop the historical trend toward China’s eventual reunification. Those who betray trust and abandon their commitments will ultimately suffer the consequences of their own actions.
I. Historical Context: The Facts of the United States’ Betrayal of Its Commitments Are Obvious and Undeniable
Looking back in history, the United States has made explicit legal and political commitments on the Taiwan-related question.
The 1978 Sino–U.S. Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations states: “The United States acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. The United States recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.”
In the August 17, 1982 Joint Communiqué, the United States made a clear commitment: “The United States Government states 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 United States and China, and that it intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution.” These joint communiqués constitute the political foundation for the sound and stable development of Sino–U.S. relations.
However, more than forty years later, the United States has broken faith and gone back on its word. Instead of reducing its arms sales, it has sold more weapons and increasingly advanced ones. The United States has continuously hollowed out and diluted the one-China principle, shifting its arms sales to Taiwan from so-called “defensive” items to large-scale, offensive military support, and has even attempted to turn Taiwan into a so-called “porcupine.” Such reneging on commitments not only gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and security and emboldens the arrogance of “Taiwan independence” forces, but also constitutes an unwarranted erosion of international credibility.
Under the pretext of maintaining the “status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” the United States carries out arms sales that in essence pour fuel on the flames of cross-Strait tensions. The course of history will not be altered by a handful of U.S.-made weapons. The more the United States indulges “Taiwan independence” provocations, the more it damages its own image. Any attempt to obstruct China’s reunification, when confronted with the ironclad will to safeguard national unity, is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
II. Deterrence in Reality: “Seeking Independence Through Force" Will Only Accelerate Its Complete Demise
At present, the root cause of tensions across the Taiwan Strait is clearly visible. The Lai Ching-te authorities stubbornly adhere to a “Taiwan independence” stance—pursuing political authoritarianism at home while, externally, going all out to “seek independence by relying on the United States,” vainly attempting to obtain a so-called “sense of security” through large-scale purchases of U.S. weaponry.
Such actions, which run counter to the course of history, have long provoked widespread public anger. Recently, more than eight million people on the island of Taiwan have signed a petition calling for the impeachment of Lai Ching-te for “violating the constitution and undermining governance,” clearly demonstrating that the Lai authorities are facing an unprecedented crisis of public opinion. The Taiwan authorities’ repeated attempts to “rely on the United States to seek independence,” together with the deliberate efforts by some in the United States to pursue a strategy of “using Taiwan to contain China,” constitute the greatest change to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and pose the most serious threat to peace and stability in the region.
Reality has already shown that no matter how many weapons the United States provides, and no matter how much the Taiwan authorities agitate, they cannot alter the fundamental shift in the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait. From the sharp edge displayed in the “Joint Sword” exercises to the all directional containment and control demonstrated in “Justice Mission,” these actions constitute stern warnings to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external interference forces alike, and are necessary and just measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The historical trend toward national reunification is unstoppable.
By ignoring this historical trend and attempting to “support independence through force,” the United States is reverting to the old path of interventionism and weaving an illusory dream of “using Taiwan to contain China.” Such actions will only bring harm upon itself and accelerate the Taiwan Strait toward heightened military danger and the risk of conflict. Any scheme to obstruct China’s reunification will not succeed, and any egregious act that crosses red lines on the Taiwan question is certain to be met with China’s resolute countermeasures.
III. Clear Legal Principles: Upholding the Post War International Order Must Not Be Challenged
It must be emphasized that Taiwan’s return to China is an important outcome of the victory in World War II and a key component of the post war international order. The one China principle is a widely recognized consensus in the international community and a fundamental norm of international relations. It also serves as the political foundation for China’s establishment and maintenance of diplomatic relations with 183 countries, including the United States.
The so called Taiwan Relations Act and the “Six Assurances” repeatedly cited by the United States are entirely unilateral and unlawful constructs, which China has consistently opposed from the outset. These illegal actions violate the one China principle and fundamentally breach the international obligations that the United States assumed in the three Sino–U.S. Joint Communiqués.
The United States has no right to place its domestic law above international law, still less to use it as a pretext to evade its international obligations or to undermine the international order and rules. Attempts to exploit domestic legislation as a “shield” for interfering in China’s internal affairs are devoid of legal validity and cannot withstand the test of history. 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. This constitutes the true status quo across the Taiwan Strait and is an indisputable legal fact. Any sinister scheme that seeks to run counter to the tide of history and challenge the post war international order will ultimately collapse completely in the face of international morality and the forces of justice.
