Taiwan As Part of China Shall Not ChangeChina's official news agency Xinhua released a signed article Friday, stressing that Taiwan's status as part of China shall not change in spite of the recent clamor made by Taiwan's Annette Lu.The die-hard independence stance of Annette Lu and her illogical talk have long been held in contempt by the Chinese people, the article said. Recently, Lu talked once again about the so-called "unsettled Taiwan status," claiming that it is a fact that the legal international status of Taiwan has not be settled. She also negated the authority of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, saying that the only effective agreement was the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and that the treaty didn't specify that Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to China. Her remarks are in disregard of historic facts, and have exposed her true colors of being ignorant of the history of her own country and splitting the motherland, the article said. The article relates the historic background for the absurd notion of an "unsettled Taiwan status." The island of Taiwan was occupied by Japan in 1895 under an agreement with the Qing Dynasty. In December 1941, the Chinese government proclaimed to the world that all the country's treaties, agreements, and contracts with Japan be abolished immediately. In December 1943, the Cairo Declaration jointly issued by China, the United States, and Britain stipulated that all the Chinese territories that Japan had stolen from China, including the island of Taiwan, be returned to China. The 1945 Potsdam Proclamation reiterated that demand. On October 25, 1945, Taiwan was returned to China. Taiwan's status as part of China has not changed since then, the article stressed. The Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation are both widely recognized as legally effective documents of international law. And, after the signing of the two documents, the United States and its allies declared its recognition of Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan on many occasions. The United States changed its tune only after the Korean War broke out, and tossed out the idea of a so-called "unsettled Taiwan status," which the Chinese government declared as both illegal and ineffective. Despite their political differences, the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits all expressed their opposition to the U.S. move, which was also opposed by the then Taiwan authorities. However, with the normalization of Sino-U.S. relations, the United States dismissed the so-called unsettled status of Taiwan, and has since stuck to the principle that there is only one China and Taiwan part of the Chinese territory. The article said that at the present crucial juncture in cross- Straits relations, Lu disregarded the historic facts and legal documents, and harped on the same old string about the status of Taiwan. Her remarks have already met harsh criticism on the island itself. In addition, Lu also spread fallacies, saying that the stepping down of the formerly ruling Kuomintang means that no relations now exist between Taiwan and the motherland. Yet, Lu's laughable remarks will not alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China, which is also widely recognized by the international community. The shifting of governments in Taiwan will not have any impact on the legal status of Taiwan, the article stressed. It will prove to be only a fond dream that some people hope to promote the independence of Taiwan by taking advantage of the stepping down of the Kuomintang. The Chinese people will never allow this to happen. As early as the 1950s, the imperialists attempted to split China through the so-called unsettled status of Taiwan. They failed miserably. Now that Lu has harped on the same old string, her fate is also destined to doom, the article said. Since taking office, Lu has spread many fallacies about Taiwan independence. The Chinese people will not tolerate Lu's provocation, which will surely worsen cross-Straits relations, the article concludes. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |