No Place for Lee Teng-hui's Splittism: Xinhua Commentator

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A commentator's article of the Xinhua News Agency says today there is no space in the world for the existence of Lee Teng-hui's "two-States" remarks, which preached "state-to-state" relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Lee's remarks have not only aroused unanimous opposition from the international community, but also reinforced the wide acceptance of the "One China" policy and further isolated Lee Teng- hui, the article notes.

A great number of countries have reiterated their position of adhering to the "One China" policy, stating that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory. Even the United States and Japan, which Taiwan pins great hope on, have reaffirmed the "One China" stand, according to the article.

The reason Lee's "two-States" remarks have been rebuffed internationally is that it violates the basic norms of international law which stipulates that in a sovereign state, there is only one government representing the State's sovereignty, the article says.

The People's Republic of China replaced the Republic of China as the sole legal government when it was founded in 1949. The replacement of the old government with the new is an internal affair of China. As the sole legitimate representative of China, the People's Republic of China, of course, has the qualifications for exercising sovereignty over Taiwan, which are facts generally acknowledged by the world, it adds.

The Taiwan issue is entirely different in its nature from the German issue. The separation of East and West Germany was largely influenced and restricted by international factors. But the separation of Taiwan from the mainland is an issue left over from China's civil war. Therefore, the reunification of China is the internal affair of China. the article says.

It notes that the state of separation between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is temporary. The mainland's status as China's mainstay and its dominant position have been defined. The Taiwan issue should be solved by the Chinese themselves under the framework of One China.

Anyone who attempts to separate Taiwan from Chinese territory gravely violates the law. Whoever in the world recognizes such illegal acts runs counter to the basic norms of international relations, interferes in China's internal affairs, and undermines the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of China, the article concludes.