Recently, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy received an interview by the Philippine media on issues related to the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, the main contents of which are as follows:
1. What is the core content of UNGA Resolution 2758?
On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. It states in black and white that the General Assembly “Considering that the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China is essential both for the protection of the Charter of the United Nations and for the cause that the United Nations must serve under the Charter, recognizing that the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations and that the People’s Republic of China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, decides to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.”
2. What issues does UNGA Resolution 2758 address?
Once and for all, UNGA Resolution 2758 resolved, politically, legally and procedurally, the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, at the UN and all the organizations related to it, and made it clear that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is a part of China, not a country. It also made clear that there is only one seat of China in the United Nations, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal representative, precluding “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”.
The United Nations is an intergovernmental international organization composed of sovereign states. As a province of China, Taiwan has no basis, reason or right to participate in the UN and its related bodies. Since the adoption of Resolution 2758, the UN and its specialized agencies, and other international and regional organizations have all adhered to it. They regard Taiwan as a province of China and do not recognize the so-called international representation of the Taiwan authorities. The UN Office of Legal Affairs has issued legal opinions stating very clearly that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ for all purposes to be an integral part of the People’s Republic of China,” “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status,” “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to enjoy any form of governmental status,” “use the term ‘Taiwan, Province of China’ when a reference to ‘Taiwan’ is required in United Nations Secretariat documents.” For more than five decades, the UN Secretary Generals and their spokespersons have made it clear when expressing their stance on Taiwan that the United Nations is guided by Resolution 2758 and adheres to the one-China principle.
3.Some people in the Philippines have claimed that the Philippines and Taiwan are geographically close and have strong economic, trade and cultural relations, and that the Taiwan question is linked with Philippine national security. What is the Embassy’s comment on this?
Since the adoption of Resolution 2758, the vast majority of United Nations Member States, in practice, respect or adopt positions consistent with the Resolution, endorse the one-China principle, and sever “official contacts” with the Taiwan authorities. The one-China principle is also the political premise on which China establishes and develops diplomatic relations with any country in the world. At present, 183 countries have established diplomatic relations with China, that is more than 93 percent of UN member states. This shows that the one-China principle is a universally recognized principle supported by peoples around the world and represents the tide of the times.
On June 9, 1975, the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed in Beijing the Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. In this Communiqué, the Philippine Government recognizes “the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, fully understands and respects the position of the Chinese Government that there is but one China and that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory, and decides to remove all its official representations from Taiwan within one month from the date of signature of this Communiqué”. In the 49 years since the establishment of our diplomatic relations, successive Philippine governments have adhered to the one-China policy. In January this year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. publicly reiterated that the Philippines adheres to the one-China policy, Taiwan is a province of China but the manner in which they will be brought together again is an internal matter.
The Taiwan question is not and should never become an issue between China and the Philippines. Any attempt to implicate the Taiwan question in the maritime disputes between China and the Philippines is dangerous. The Taiwan question, starkly different in nature from the maritime differences between China and the Philippines, is purely an internal affair of China that does not brook any external interference. The maritime differences between China and the Philippines can be compared to spats between neighbors, while the Taiwan question is completely domestic. Distinction between the two must not be blurred.
4. In April last year, the Philippines opened four additional military sites for the United States under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). People of insight in the Philippines question, “Will the opening of new EDCA sites serve the national interests of the Philippines? Why are the new sites only a stone’s throw away from Taiwan?” What is the Embassy’s comment on this?
The root cause of the current tension in the Taiwan Strait is that the DPP authorities’ refusal to recognize the “1992 Consensus”, pursuit of “de-sinicization” and attempts to “rely on the US for independence”. The US is also responsible for “using Taiwan to contain China”. Of the four new EDCA sites opened by the Philippines to the United States, three are located in the northern part of Luzon, just “across the sea” from Taiwan, and one of which is only 400 kilometers away from Taiwan. It is obvious that the US is attempting to use EDCA sites to interfere in the Taiwan question at the expense of the peaceful development of the Philippines and the region.
The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affairs, and how to solve it is a matter for the Chinese people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. China is the last country in the world to wish for a conflict across the Strait, but we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to guard against external interference and the very small number of separatist elements and their secessionist activities. If the Philippine side is concerned about peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait, it should abide by the one-China principle and UNGA Resolution 2758, and unequivocally oppose the independence of Taiwan and support China’s reunification, instead of cooperating with the US strategy of “using Taiwan to contain China”.
The collusion between the US and the “Taiwan independence” forces runs counter to the trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and will certainly undermine the interests of the people in the region and the common interests of the international community. We believe that the international community has a clear understanding of the harm of such collusion. Any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” or “use Taiwan to contain China” is bound to meet firm opposition from the international community and a dead end.