By Zhao Xing, Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan, as well as the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In such a year of profound historical significance, reviewing the origins of the Taiwan question and the authoritative international documents concerning Taiwan Question is of great importance for upholding the post-war international order and maintaining regional peace and stability.
In 1894, Japan launched the First Sino-Japanese War and forced the Qing Government to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese people—including compatriots in Taiwan—fought heroically against Japanese invaders and made great contributions to the victory of both the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. During the war, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom jointly issued the Cairo Declaration in 1943, which explicitly stipulated that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China. In 1945, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union released the Potsdam Proclamation, which reaffirmed the terms of the Cairo Declaration and made the implementation one of the fundamental conditions for Japan’s surrender. The international community, through open and authoritative legal instruments, confirmed that Taiwan should be returned to China. This arrangement became an integral part of the post-war international order. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the Chinese government formally declared in October of the same year the restoration of its sovereignty over Taiwan. After several years of civil war, the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, replacing the Government of the Republic of China as the sole lawful government representing the whole of China. The retreat of the Chiang Kai-shek clique to Taiwan created a prolonged state of political confrontation across the Taiwan Strait. However, China’s sovereignty and its inherent territorial boundaries remained unchanged, and its sovereignty over Taiwan naturally continued unaffected.
On October 25, 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 at the 26th session , which undertook “to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it”. This resolution settled once and for all the political, legal and procedural issues of China’s representation in the UN, and it covered the whole country, including Taiwan. Its legitimacy, validity, and authority are beyond question. After the adoption of Resolution 2758, a wave of diplomatic relations with the PRC followed. Countries including the United States and Japan made political commitments to the one-China principle when establishing diplomatic relations with China. To date, 183 countries have established and are developing diplomatic ties with China on the basis of the one-China principle.
Recently, the 18th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress adopted the Decision on Establishing the Memorial Day for Taiwan’s Restoration, officially designating October 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration through national legislation. This decision not only commemorates one of the major achievements of the great victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, but also pays the deepest tribute to the martyrs and forebears who safeguarded China’s territorial integrity and devoted their lives to the nation’s independence and rejuvenation. I believe the Afghan people, who have likewise experienced a difficult struggle against aggression in pursuit of independence, can deeply appreciate the significance of this history. China highly commends Afghanistan’s firm adherence to the one-China principle and its clear opposition to “Taiwan independence.”However, certain anti-China forces in the international arena, driven by political calculations to “use Taiwan to contain China,” attempt to distort the fact of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan by hyping the so-called “undetermined status of Taiwan” and misinterpreting UNGA Resolution 2758. They seek to encourage and support “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, escalate tensions, and undermine regional and global peace and stability. These attempts are doomed to fail. The international community’s commitment to the one-China principle is unshakable, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that “The Taiwan question arose as a result of weakness and chaos in our nation, and it will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality.” Safeguarding the historic achievements of Taiwan’s restoration, advancing the shared development across the Strait, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are intrinsically interconnected and inseparable. As we embark on the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal, people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, guided by the greater national interest and advancing hand in hand, will undoubtedly accomplish the historic mission of China’s reunification and jointly embrace a bright future of national rejuvenation.
