Commentary: U.S. politicians playing "Taiwan card" doomed to fail

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was famous for priding himself for "lying, cheating and stealing," is shamelessly trying once again to seek political self-interests by playing the "Taiwan card" as he started his visit to Taiwan on Wednesday.

However, the vicious attempts of Pompeo and the like are doomed to fail.

The world's public opinion has set the tone for Pompeo long ago, tagging him as the "worst secretary of state in the U.S. history" and a "political arsonist." It is he who barefacedly claimed that "I was the CIA director, we lied, we cheated, we stole."

While in office, Pompeo blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs by repeatedly meddling in the Taiwan question, leaving a notorious record. Shortly before he left office, Pompeo lifted restrictions on official contacts between the United States and China's Taiwan, in a bid to maliciously inflict a long-lasting scar on U.S.-China ties.

After stepping down, the former U.S. official is still trying to chase global limelight by frequently making irresponsible remarks on Taiwan in self-directed "shows of support" for the "Taiwan independence" forces.

One day before Pompeo's visit, the United States also sent five former high-level officials to Taiwan. That, once again, laid bare Washington's double-dealing over the Taiwan question. Since last year, the United States has pledged many times that it opposes "Taiwan independence." However, its deeds exposed that the United States is actually saying one thing yet doing another, leaving its credibility in serious doubt.

The United States should abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop all official exchanges with Taiwan, as well as cease supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, so as to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the overall U.S.-China relations.

The Chinese people are firmly committed to safeguarding their national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing on Tuesday. "The U.S. demonstration of so-called support for Taiwan is futile, whoever it sends."

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has long been racking its brains to collude with the anti-China forces in the United States. Out of its own ends, the authority has willingly turned itself into a pawn in the scheme of Washington's anti-China forces to contain China's development. It is also trying to create an illusion that its moves are popular with the international community so as to deceive and control public opinion.

The DPP authority, the root of increasing instability and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, is bound to receive a fair trial and harsh punishment by history. Its attempt to seek "Taiwan independence," going against the will of the Chinese people, will not stop the historical trend of national reunification.

The Taiwan question concerns China's core interests and allows no compromise. Over the decades, cross-Strait relations have been moving in the general direction of national reunification despite various twists and turns. The development of the Chinese mainland has been key to determining the development of cross-Strait ties, and the initiative on solving the Taiwan question has always been in the hands of those standing for national reunification.

Playing the "Taiwan card" will in no way sway the global consensus on the one-China principle nor change the fact that Taiwan is part of China. U.S. politicians like Pompeo should wake up to that, stop sending more wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatists, and start to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently to avoid further undermining U.S.-China relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.