“Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People’s Republic of China. It is the sacred duty of all the Chinese people, including our fellow Chinese in Taiwan, to achieve the great reunification of the motherland.” These are the words written in the preamble of China’s Constitution. And U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region is a brazen violation into China’s most sacred principle.
On August 2, Pelosi landed in Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement saying it will have a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
However, for Pelosi, such damage seems negligible. Instead, she focuses on showing “solidarity” with Taiwan and claims that the United States “continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo.” Well, the United States is now the one aggressively pushing for unilateral change to the balance in the Taiwan Strait.
Since April, Pelosi had been flirting with the possibility of making the trip. After a postponement due to contracting COVID-19 followed by weeks of media leaks, speculations and secrecy, she at last made the trip against warnings from China and Western scholars and opposition within her own party.
Let’s be clear about this. The entire saga is nothing but a reckless provocation, both political and military, and a challenge to China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beijing has repeatedly conveyed to Washington its serious concerns over Pelosi’s imprudent insistence on visiting a part of China that is clearly off limits for her.
There’s a strong public opinion in China against the symbolic message that Pelosi as House Speaker – the third highest ranking U.S. official after the President and the Vice President – wants to send out with her visit to Taiwan. Her visit has clearly been seen as a serious violation of the “one-China” principle and the provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiqués that are the cornerstones of the bilateral relations and China’s national interests. Moreover, the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, acknowledging that “the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations.” Nancy Pelosi’s visit defied all of these internationally recognized legal facts.
President Xi Jinping in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden underlined that the position of the Chinese government and the Chinese people on the Taiwan question is consistent. “Resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. Public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it,” he told Biden.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question remains a red line for the Chinese people and government. Even the U.S., like other 180 nations, officially adheres to the one-China principle. What part of this is unclear to Pelosi that she fails to comprehend that her foolhardy act of bravado is in violation of Washington’s own commitments and seriously undermines China-U.S. relations?
Despite all the forewarning, Pelosi still went ahead with her plan and flew to Taiwan. China is left with no option but to retaliate to this blatant challenge to its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it will be conducting important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills from August 4 to August 7. The PLA’s Eastern Theater command began conducting a series of military operations near Taiwan starting Tuesday night.
How could the U.S. establishment has little, if not at all, wisdom to stop this kind of mindless whim from happening? China-U.S. relationship is seriously damaged by Pelosi’s visit. China is forced to take countermeasures against the relevant parties to deter any further political aggression by the U.S. politicians and Taiwan separatists. If the United States can’t find a rational approach to its relationship with China, it will have to face a dangerous conflict of its own making again.
