In disregard of serious representations and repeated warnings of the Chinese side, the US side deliberately greenlighted the “transit” of Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Taiwan authorities, through the United States. US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the third-highest ranking figure in the US government, had a high-profile meeting with Tsai at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. This is a blatant support for Tsai’s separatist rhetoric and acts for “Taiwan independence”. This once again proves that the United States essentially acts with Taiwan to propagate “Taiwan independence”, upgrades the substantive relations between the two sides, connives at “Taiwan independence” separatists’ political activities in the US and conducts official engagement with Taiwan region under the pretext of Tsai’s “transit”. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués. It seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and sends an egregiously wrong signal to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it.

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. The one-China principle is a prevailing consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. It is also the prerequisite and basis for the establishment and development of China-US diplomatic relations. In the three China-US joint communiqués, the United States made a clear commitment of maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. Over the years, however, the United States has obdurately attempted to contain China by exploiting the Taiwan question, kept fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle and betrayed its own political commitments made clearly in the three China-US joint communiqués. Tsai and the DPP authorities have refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle and sought to push for “incremental independence” under various pretenses. 

The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. In response to the egregiously wrong action taken by the United States and Taiwan, China will take strong and resolute measures to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the U.S. side to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, return to the original and true meaning of the one-China principle, act on the US leader’s statement of not supporting “Taiwan independence” and not supporting “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”, stop any form of official exchanges with Taiwan region, stop containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question, and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path.

In the past few days, Chinese communities in different areas of the United States have voluntarily gathered and held protests and demonstrations to express their strong opposition to Tsai Ing-wen’s “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, which reflects the overwhelming will of Chinese people at home and abroad. Realizing complete national reunification is the general historical trend of the Chinese nation, and the common will and shared aspirations of all Chinese people. “Taiwan independence” separatist acts are against historical trend, unpopular and doomed to failure.