An opinion piece on Taiwan question from Mr. Gerrit van der Wees was published under the Wat U Zegt column of de Telegraaf recently. By seriously twisting facts on history of Taiwan and current situation across the Taiwan strait, the opinion piece instigates the Dutch government to abandon the current one-China principle. Such statements with ulterior intentions are very dangerous. The spokesperson of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Netherlands wishes to make the following clarifications, to bring facts and truth to the readers.

Firstly, Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China and has never been an independent country. The official oversight of Taiwan by ancient Chinese governments could be dated to almost 1800 years ago. From the 13th century, all Chinese dynasties set up administrative organs in Taiwan for more effective governance. After the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949,  the Central People's Government of the PRC replaced the government of the Republic of China to become the only legal government of the whole of China. This is a replacement of the old regime by a new one in a situation where the subject of international law remains unchanged and China's sovereignty and inherent territory have not changed therefrom. Therefore, the government of PRC naturally should fully enjoy and exercise China's sovereignty, including its sovereignty over Taiwan.

Secondly, there is only one China in the world, and the government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is a universally-recognized norm of international relations and consensus of the international community. It is also the political foundation of bilateral relations between China and other countries including the Netherlands. This year marks the 50th anniversary of restoration of PRC’s lawful seat in UN. The UN Resolution 2758 in 1971 clearly stipulates that the government of PRC is the sole legal representation of China in UN, and the representatives of the Taiwan authorities are expelled. In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations at Ambassadorial Level between China and the Netherlands in 1972, Chinese government reiterates its position that Taiwan is a province of PRC, and the Netherlands respects  Chinese government’s position regarding Taiwan, and reiterates its acknowledgement that the government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

Thirdly, the ruling Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party authority's provocations to seek "independence" and their collusion with external forces is the source of tension and turbulence in cross-Straits relations and the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region. Meanwhile, some country outside the region has been flexing muscles around Taiwan Strait region and China's neighboring areas and stoking geopolitical confrontation, revealing its true face as a saboteur of regional peace and stability.

By hyping the so-called 'military threat' from the mainland, and inciting the Dutch government to support Taiwan “independence”, Mr. van der Wees’s opinion piece brings nothing but harm. It will send a wrong signal to the Taiwan separatists and encouraged their separation attempts, resulting in heavier burden and more disaster for residents in Taiwan. It also severely undermines Sino-Dutch relations. As a former Dutch diplomat and a current US-based scholar, by spreading ridiculous and provocative remarks on Dutch media, Mr. van der Wees seems to be keen on messing Sino-Dutch relations, which raises doubt on his true intentions. 

The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair，it concerns China’s core interests and Chinese people’s national feelings and brooks no external interference. According to Chinese leader, National reunification by peaceful means best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including our compatriots in Taiwan. We will adhere to the basic policies of peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems, uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and work for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The complete reunification of China will be and can be realized, which is the common aspiration of all Chinese people, including the 23 million Taiwan compatriots.