On
October 1, 1949, the Central People’s Government of the PRC was proclaimed,
replacing the government of the Republic of China to become the only legal
government of the whole of China and its sole legal representative in the
international arena, thereby bringing the historical status of the Republic of
China to an end. This is a replacement of the old regime by a new one in a
situation where the main bodies of the same international laws have not changed
and China’s sovereignty and inherent territory have not changed therefrom, and
so the government of the PRC naturally
should fully enjoy and exercise China’s sovereignty, including its sovereignty
over Taiwan.
Since
the KMT ruling clique retreated to Taiwan, although its regime has continued to
use the designations “Republic of China” and “government of the Republic of
China,” it has long since completely forfeited its right to exercise state
sovereignty on behalf of China and, in reality, has always remained only a
local authority in Chinese territory.
The
formulation of the One-China Principle and its basic meaning. On the day of its
founding, the Central People’s Government of the PRC declared to governments of
all countries in the world, “This government is the sole legitimate government
representing the entire people of the People’s Republic of China. It is ready
to establish diplomatic relations with all foreign governments that are willing
to abide by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect for
each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Shortly afterwards, the
Central People’s Government telegraphed the United Nations, announcing that the
KMT authorities had “lost all basis, both de jure and de facto, to represent
the Chinese people,” and therefore had no right to represent China at all. One
principle governing New China’s establishment of diplomatic relations with a
foreign country is that it recognizes the government of the PRC as the sole
legitimate government representing the whole of China, severs or refrains from
establishing diplomatic relations with the Taiwan authorities.
These
propositions of the Chinese government met with obstruction by the U.S.
government. On January 5, 1950, the U.S. President Truman issued a statement,
saying that the U.S. and other Allied countries recognized China’s exercise of
sovereignty over Taiwan Island in the four years since 1945. However, after the
start of the Korean War in June 1950, to isolate and contain China the U.S.
government not only sent troops to occupy Taiwan, but it also dished out such
fallacies as “the status of Taiwan has yet to be determined” and later, step by
step, lobbied for “dual recognition” among the international community in order
to create “two Chinas.” Naturally, the Chinese government resolutely opposed
this, insisting that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is a part of
China and the government of the PRC is the sole legal government representing
the whole of China. China has evolved the One-China Principle precisely in the
course of the endeavor to develop normal diplomatic relations with other
countries and the struggle to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial
integrity. The above propositions constitute the basic meaning of the One-China
Principle, the crucial point being to safeguard China’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
During
the 30 or 40 years after 1949, although the Taiwan authorities did not
recognize the legitimate status of the government of the PRC as the
representative of the whole of China, they did insist that Taiwan is a part of
China and that there is only one China, and opposed “two Chinas” and “Taiwan
independence. “ This shows that for a long time there has been a common understanding among the Chinese on both sides
of the Taiwan Straits on the fundamental
question that there is only one China
and Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory. As far back as October 1958, when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
was engaged in the battle to bombard Jinmen, Chairman Mao Zedong declared to
the Taiwan authorities, “There is only one China, not two, in the world. You
agree with us on this point, as indicated in your leaders’ proclamations.” In
January 1979, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC)
issued a Message to Taiwan Compatriots, pointing out that “the Taiwan
authorities have always stood firm on the one China position and opposed the
independence of Taiwan. This is our
common stand and our basis for cooperation.”
A Guest Editorial