By Zhang Pan

Roger Waters, co-founder and singer of the well-known British rock band Pink Floyd, refuted the host’s wrong comments on the Taiwan question in an interview with the American media “CNN” recently, telling him that “Taiwan is part of China…If you don’t know it, you’re not reading enough. Go and read more about it!” Waters’ words speak out an indisputable fact – there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a universally accepted basic norm in international relations and a global consensus. Anyone intentionally distorting this fact or smearing this principle would be asking for insults.

As an old Chinese saying goes,, “a man’s troubles lie in reading too little about history”. After US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, some American politicians have the face to justify it and try to shift the blame by accusing China of escalating the tension and claiming that Pelosi’s Taiwan visit in no way contradicts the US government’s one-China policy. In response to that, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry called out their lack of knowledge about history and self-reflection, saying “it is high time that the US officials caught up on the history of the Taiwan question”.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China. The Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is at the heart of the one-China principle and also a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. A total of 181 countries, including the US, have established diplomatic ties with China on the basis of the one-China principle.

According to the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, the US “recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan”. However, in recent years, the US has not matched its words with deeds. It has been obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle and trying to cross red lines and pushing the boundaries through the salami tactics.

In disregard of China’s strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US Joint Communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The US government was supposed to rein in the attempt to visit Taiwan by its third highest-ranking member, but it has connived at her provocation. If China does nothing to reject America’s rampant and irresponsible behaviors, the purpose and principle of the UN Charter on respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity and the basic norms governing international relations will be rendered worthless, and all the developing countries, which account for more than 80% of the global population, may become the next target.

The people know where justice lies. The foreign ambassadors, political figures, and leaders of social organizations of many countries have voiced their strong objections and stern criticism of Pelosi’s Taiwan visit. More than 170 countries and numerous international organizations have expressed in various ways their firm support for China’s stance on the Taiwan question, which is an overwhelming majority compared with the few countries on America’s side. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made it clear that the UN will continue to abide by the General Assembly Resolution 2758, the core of which is the one-China principle.

The historical ins and outs of the Taiwan question are crystal-clear, and so are the facts and status quo that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. We advise certain countries to brush up on their history lesson, abide by their written commitments, and truly apprehend the danger and risk of reneging on their commitments on the Taiwan question and backing and emboldening the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. Any attempt to challenge the one-China principle and the international rule of law and order will meet with the collective rejection of the international community and will only head into a dead end.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on news.haiwainet.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.