Your recent article “Becoming Taiwan” (The Weekend Essay, Life & Arts, January 6), which backs the “Taiwan independence” narrative, and goes as far as to call Taiwan a “country”, is dominated by wrong perceptions of Taiwan’s history.
The claim that “Taiwan was made a Chinese province only in 1887” is completely wrong. The fact is that in the third and the seventh century, the state of Wu, during the period of the Three Kingdoms, and the Sui Dynasty sent over 10,000 people to Taiwan respectively.
Since the early 17th century, the Chinese people increased efforts to develop Taiwan. Starting from the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), successive Chinese governments set up administrative bodies, exercising effective jurisdiction over Taiwan.
In the mid-17th century, Dutch colonists invaded and seized Taiwan. Zheng Chenggong, a national hero of China, expelled the Dutch colonists in 1662 and recovered Taiwan. In 1895, owing to its defeat in the 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese war, the Qing government was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan and Penghu Islands to Japan. In 1945, Japan announced its surrender, unconditionally accepted the Potsdam Proclamation and the Cairo Declaration, and returned Taiwan to China. As such, China recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto through a host of documents with international legal effect. Since 1949, Taiwan and the motherland have been in a state of temporary division due to well-known reasons, but this has not changed the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
There is only one China in the world. The historical and legal fact of Taiwan being part of China is beyond question. The status of Taiwan as part of China, not a country, cannot be changed. Solving the Taiwan question and realising the complete reunification of China is the common aspiration of all the Chinese people. Our stance on promoting the great cause of the reunification of the motherland is consistent, rock-solid and unshakeable. China will realise reunification, and this is unstoppable.
To maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the one China principle must be followed. Advocating “Taiwan independence” and inciting confrontation is dangerous provocation and extremely irresponsible.
Bi Haibo
Minister Counsellor and Spokesman, Chinese Embassy in the UK
London W1, UK
