China urges US to uphold one-China principle, stop Taiwan interference

A Chinese mainland spokesman has urged the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, stop manipulating Taiwan-related issues, stop supporting "Taiwan independence" separatism, and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized Washington on Thursday for "publicly rehashing the erroneous theory of 'Taiwan's undetermined status' and smearing China's legitimate actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Chen expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, saying the remarks were "maliciously misleading international opinion, seriously violating international law and the basic norms of international relations, and sending a severely wrong signal to separatist forces advocating 'Taiwan independence'."

His comments followed the American Institute in Taiwan's assertion that World War II-era declarations, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, do not determine Taiwan's final political status.

A US State Department spokesperson further echoed this view when responding to the media, saying "China distorts WWII documents to support its coercion of Taiwan".

Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities spoke out in support of this view, claiming that the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation are "political statements expressing the Allies' wartime intentions, not binding treaties".

In response, Chen stressed that the US, as a signatory to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, and as a member of the victorious side in WWII, is fully aware of the historical and legal facts that Taiwan belongs to China and was returned to China after the war.

He cited a series of internationally legally binding documents, including the 1943 Cairo Declaration, the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation, and the 1945 Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which clearly affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

Chen stated that the DPP authorities have manipulated certain media and collaborated with some US institutions to distort history and to fabricate historical and legal arguments, as well as to create the illusion of so-called "international support" for their separatist agenda.

"This self-deceptive and clumsy tactic is doomed to fail. History cannot be altered," Chen said, emphasizing that Taiwan's status as part of China is established.

"Regardless of how the DPP authorities scheme to 'rely on external forces for independence' and no matter how external forces stir up trouble, the historical trend of China's eventual and inevitable reunification cannot be stopped," Chen added.