China reaffirms one-China principle

…announces new developments

Moroke Sekoboto

CHINESE Ambassador to Lesotho, Yang Xiaokun, has urged every country to firmly oppose all forms of Taiwan independence and resolutely support the Chinese government’s efforts to achieve national reunification.

Speaking at a meeting with Members of Parliament at the Chinese Embassy yesterday, Mr Xiaokun said the one-China principle was a basic norm governing international relations and a prevailing consensus within the international community. He indicated that recent international developments had once again demonstrated broad and growing global support for the one-China principle.

The one-China principle states that there is only 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.

“On 11 May, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China reaffirmed China’s opposition to the Taiwan region’s participation in the World Health Assembly held on May 18. The spokesperson stated that China’s position on the Taiwan region’s participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, is consistent and clear,” Mr Xiaokun said.

“That is, this must be handled in line with the one-China principle, which is also a fundamental principle recognized by UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. China’s Taiwan region, unless given approval by the Central Government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the WHA. Due to the DPP authorities’ persistent separatist stance, the political foundation for the Taiwan region to participate in the WHA no longer exists.”

He said that to uphold the one-China principle, as well as the sanctity and authority of relevant UNGA and WHA resolutions, China had decided not to approve the Taiwan region’s participation in this year’s WHA. He stressed that any attempt to play the “Taiwan card” for political manipulation in defiance of the one-China principle was doomed to fail.

“On April 22, three countries — Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — revoked overflight clearances for Taiwan authorities leader Lai Ching-te’s aircraft to transit through their territories to Eswatini. These decisions once again reflected Africa’s longstanding support for the one-China principle and its commitment to respecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“These events are not isolated diplomatic incidents. Rather, they fully reflect the fundamental realities of today’s international political landscape: the one-China principle is where the arc of history bends and public opinion trends, and to uphold it is the right thing to do. No one can ever stop the eventual reunification of China. The separatist attempts aimed at ‘Taiwan independence’ are futile and doomed to fail,” he said.

He further indicated that after the adoption of the resolution, all official UN documents referred to Taiwan as “Taiwan, province of China”. He said official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN Secretariat clearly stated that the United Nations considers Taiwan a province of China with no separate status, and that authorities in Taipei were not regarded as enjoying any form of government status.

“To date, 183 countries have established and developed diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. All African countries, with the sole exception of Eswatini, have established diplomatic ties with China. These 53 countries, together with the African Union, adopted the Beijing Declaration at the 2024 FOCAC Summit.”

He added that mainland China remained committed to safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, while promoting cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in various sectors.

“On April 10, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, expressed willingness to work with all political parties in Taiwan, including the Chinese Kuomintang party, as well as groups and people from all sectors, to strengthen exchanges and dialogue, promote peace across the Strait, improve the well-being of the people and advance national rejuvenation, on the basis of the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, and opposing Taiwan independence.

“Mainland China has also rolled out a package of 10 policies and measures to boost exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, including enhancing communication, encouraging business growth and promoting cultural exchanges. In contrast, the Lai Ching-te authorities cling stubbornly to the separatist position of Taiwan independence. They are not making Taiwan any safer by squandering money on weapons, but are turning Taiwan into a cash machine for countries selling those weapons. Lai Ching-te is a troublemaker through and through. Any attempt to challenge the one-China principle is doomed to fail and will only lead to self-inflicted embarrassment,” he said.

He highlighted that adherence to the one-China principle remained the essential political foundation for the sound and steady development of China-Lesotho relations. China, he said, highly appreciated the longstanding and firm commitment of the Lesotho government, Parliament and people from all sectors to the one-China principle, and their reaffirmation of this position through statements and other official channels.

“Lesotho resolutely opposes any form of Taiwan independence and firmly supports all efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification. On this basis, China is willing to advance the China-Lesotho strategic partnership to a higher level and make it a model of friendly exchanges and common development between countries with different national conditions and systems,” he said.

He indicated that China was willing to continue working hand in hand with Lesotho to deepen the China-Lesotho strategic partnership and help build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane, reaffirmed Lesotho’s support for the one-China principle. Mr Sekhamane said 50 years ago China’s economy had been weak, but it had since become the world’s second-largest economy. He said Lesotho needed to work with China to grow its economy.

The post China reaffirms one-China principle appeared first on Lesotho Times.