China has renewed its assertion that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory, citing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 as the legal basis for its claim.
Adopted on October 25, 1971, UNGA Resolution 2758 recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and expelled “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek” from the organization.
The one-China principle is the premise and political foundation for UNGA Resolution 2758, while the resolution solemnly confirms and fully embodies the one-China principle.
The resolution makes it clear that there is but one China in the world and that the Taiwan region is part of China, not a country. It affirms that China has one single seat in the U.N., and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate representative of the whole of China, including the Taiwan region. There is no such thing as “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.”
After the adoption of the Resolution, all official U.N. documents referred to Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China”. It was clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the U.N. Secretariat that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status” and the “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to … enjoy any form of government status.” This has been the consistent position of the U.N. and is clearly documented.
Speaking recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that no matter how the situation on the Taiwan island evolves and no matter how external forces try to interfere, the historical trend that China will and must achieve reunification is unstoppable.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan, and Taiwan’s return to China is an important part of the outcomes of the victory in World War II and the postwar international order, Xi noted.
He pointed out that a series of documents with international legal effect, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, confirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, with historical and legal facts beyond dispute, and the authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 cannot be challenged.
President Xi’s political philosophy of modernizing China in the new era, the reunification of Taiwan features highly on his agenda. This perspective is central to the People’s Republic of China’s one-China principle.
