China releases white paper on Taiwan reunification, calls Taipei's status 'unalterable'

In response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unannounced visit to Taipei, Chinese authorities published a "white paper" titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era" on the Taiwan issue following the conclusion of the largest military exercise ever conducted near Taiwan. The white paper was jointly published on August 10 by the Taiwan Affairs Office and the Information Office, both parts of Beijing's State Council.

It reiterates Beijing's claims to the island and criticises efforts at "Taiwan independence". The white paper mentioned, "resolving the Taiwan question and realising China's complete reunification is a shared aspiration." After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and declared that the US will stand with the island nation despite Chinese authorities criticising the visit, tensions escalated with military drills in the Taiwan Straits.

Ballistic missiles were used in military exercises near Taiwan, and China also flew its best fighter jets close to Taiwan's air defence zone, according to reports. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen's administration had accused the Chinese regime of carrying out simulated attacks. China has repeatedly stated that it would use force, if necessary, to reunite Taiwan with the mainland. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province.

What is in White Paper on Taiwan & 'One-China' policy

The Jinping government claims in the white paper that "Taiwan belonged to China since ancient times" and that "complete reunification of China is indispensable" for the realisation of China's rejuvenation. China urged the Chinese people to "stick together" and declared that complete reunification is a process that cannot be stopped. The paper declares, "We will surely succeed in realising national reunification on our way to national rejuvenation."

In 1980, the GDP of China was close to $303 billion, which was "over seven times that of Taiwan," and in 2021, the GDP of the mainland was about $17.46 trillion, more than 22 times, according to statistics from the IMF cited in the paper. The white paper states quite clearly that "Taiwan belongs to all the Chinese people, including the 23 million Taiwan compatriots," and that any attempt by separatist forces to prevent reunification is bound to fail.

The CPC and the Chinese government's first preference in resolving the Taiwan issue, according to the paper, is "national reunification" through peaceful means. The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 in October 1971, which spelt out that China has one single seat in the UN, so there is no such thing as "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," according to the paper.

The statement in the paper that any attempt to distort facts will fail has been repeated numerous times by China's foreign ministry. According to the paper, "Taiwan has never been a state," and its "status as a part of China is unalterable".

White Paper slams US' stand on Taiwan

According to the white paper, some forces in the US insist on perceiving and portraying China as a major strategic adversary, while Taiwan is being used as a convenient tool. The white paper claims that the Chinese government is prepared to respond with the use of force or other necessary means to external forces' interference, while the US is allegedly making every effort to incite groups within Taiwan to stir up trouble.

Referring to the US, the paper states, "External forces are using Taiwan as a pawn to undermine China's development and progress and obstruct the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

(With agency inputs)

Image: AP