Photo taken on March 27, 2020 shows the White House in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Taiwan separatists ought to quit relying on foreign intervention to keep China permanently divided and understand that Washington is merely using the island as a pawn in its strategic containment of China. They also need to stop daydreaming about Taiwan's value in Washington's calculations.
by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng
BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Washington's recent signing of the so-called "Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019" into law has flagrantly violated China's sovereignty.
Since Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came into power four years ago, cross-Strait relations have witnessed major setbacks as the administration has refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus and fanned separatist sentiments on the island.
In the meantime, by selling weapons to Taiwan and passing bills supporting the island, Washington has been trying to leverage Taiwan to disrupt China's reunification efforts and retard the country's development.
The latest act, taking a carrot and stick approach, asks the U.S. government to enhance engagement with countries that strengthen "relations" with Taiwan, while altering engagement with those whose actions "undermine" the island. It also calls on the U.S. government to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations in which statehood is not a requirement, either as a member or an observer.
For starters, a major factor deciding Taiwan's so-called "international space" lies not in the support of the United States but in the state of cross-Strait relations.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) attends a news conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Taiwan used to participate in the World Health Assembly with an observer status as "Chinese Taipei," a special arrangement made through cross-Strait consultations on the basis of both sides' adherence to the 1992 Consensus.
Because the DPP refuses to recognize the consensus, the prerequisite for Taiwan's participation in the assembly has vanished.
Washington's drive to thwart the pursuit by sovereign nations for normalized relations with China is faltering. Since the DPP took power in Taiwan in 2016, seven countries, some against strong pressure from the United States, have cut "ties" with Taiwan and established or restored diplomatic relations with China.
Today, 180 countries have formed diplomatic relations with Beijing, with the one-China principle enjoying universal consensus. As Kiribati's President Taneti Mamau said during his Beijing trip in January, trust and confidence in China are the reasons why his country made the important decision to resume diplomatic ties.
The Capitol Hill is shrouded in fog in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Taiwan separatists ought to quit relying on foreign intervention to keep China permanently divided and understand that Washington is merely using the island as a pawn in its strategic containment of China. They also need to stop daydreaming about Taiwan's value in Washington's calculations.
Washington should also respect the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, the political foundation of the two countries' diplomatic relations. China hawks in the United States should not underestimate Beijing's rock solid determination to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Fifteen years ago, China adopted the Anti-Secession Law, a clear demonstration of Beijing's utmost sincerity for peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait and resolute opposition to so-called "Taiwan independence."
As China continues on its path of peaceful development and national rejuvenation, it is only a matter of time before the country achieves reunification, a historic trend that cannot be stopped. Those who seek to stonewall it, both in the United States and Taiwan, should wake up. ■