Commentary: G7 gets it wrong again on Taiwan question

A protester holding a placard is pictured near the Karuizawa station of shinkansen train in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, on April 16, 2023. The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers gathered Sunday in the central Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, as people took part in demonstrations to protest against the bloc. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Given that the one-China principle is a prevailing consensus among the international community and a basic norm in international relations, the Taiwan question is China's internal affair in which the G7 is in no position to interfere in.

KARUIZAWA, Japan, April 19 (Xinhua) -- One thing was in sufficient supply at this week's Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers' meeting in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa: untenable accusation.

The rich club stressed the need to caution against what they called Chinese "threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force" in East and South China Seas, notably over Taiwan, in a communique Tuesday. G7 again used a "lofty" pretext to interfere in China's internal affairs and discredit China.

Those arrogant wealthiest countries have repeated such cliches over and over again. Yet they are wrong about the status quo at the beginning.

There is only one China and both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one and the same China. This has been the status quo of Taiwan since ancient times. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government of China and Taiwan is part of China. This is the status quo across the Taiwan Straits that has been there for decades.

Given that the one-China principle is a prevailing consensus among the international community and a basic norm in international relations, the Taiwan question is China's internal affair in which the G7 is in no position to interfere in.

The communique indeed indicated that "there is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies." But deeds fail to match words. The United States plans to sell as many as 400 land-launched Harpoon missiles to Taiwan, in the latest sign that some in America intend to use Taiwan to contain China. And those acts and words are sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces.

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. Those who choose to support or even collude with "Taiwan independence" separatists are violating, far from upholding, the one-China principle, and endangering cross-Strait peace and stability.

While meddling in China's internal affairs, the G7 nations also acknowledged the need to work together with China on global challenges, including on climate change, biodiversity, global health security and gender equality.

However, the communique, also with smears against China on Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and the East and South China Seas, is full of arrogance, prejudice and sinister intentions, exposing a Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice.

The G7 have their own problems to deal with. Interfering in other countries' internal affairs only brings division and confrontation in the international community.