On October 10, 2023, the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji published erroneous remarks on The Fiji Times that violated the one-China principle, distorting the facts about the Taiwan question and confusing right and wrong. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji denounces this and hereby reiterates the following points, so as to set the record straight.

--Taiwan has never been a country, but an inalienable part of China’s territory. In 1895, Japan forcibly occupied China’s Taiwan region through the War of Aggression against China and ruled it until World War II. The Cairo Declaration issued by the governments of China, the United States and Great Britain in December 1943 stated that all territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, such as Manchuria, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, shall be restored to China. This provision was confirmed and reiterated in the Potsdam Proclamation issued in July 1945. After Japan’s surrender on October 25 of the same year, the Chinese government resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. From that point forward, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto through a host of documents with international legal effect. Taiwan’s return to China is also an important component of the post-WWII international order. Not long after the victory of the WWII, the civil war broke out in China. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people overthrew the government of the Republic of China, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded and the Government of the PRC became the only legitimate government representing the whole of China. As a result of the civil war and the interference of external forces, the two sides of the Taiwan Straits have fallen into a state of protracted political confrontation, but Taiwan's status as part of China's territory has never changed.

--Taiwan’s belonging to China is not only a historical fact, but also recognized by the international community. In 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which undertook “to restore all its rights of the People's Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations”, and to expel forthwith the representatives of the Taiwan authorities “from the place which they unlawfully occupy”. This resolution settled once and for all the political, legal and procedural issues of China's representation in the UN, and it covered the whole country, including Taiwan. It also spelled out that China has one single seat in the UN, so there is no such thing as "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan". It was clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Legal Affairs Office of the UN Secretariat that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status”, and the “ ‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to... enjoy any form of government status”. In the UN, the Taiwan island is referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China”. On the basis of the one-China principle, 182 countries have established diplomatic relations with China.

--The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair. The important principles of respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are the cornerstones of modern international law and basic norms of international relations. It is the sacred right of every sovereign state to safeguard national unity and territorial integrity. It goes without saying that the Chinese government is entitled to take all measures necessary to settle the Taiwan question and achieve national reunification, free of external interference. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the strait belong to one and the same China, Taiwan is part of China, and neither China’s sovereignty nor its territorial integrity is ever divided. To violate and challenge the one-China principle is to change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait. “Taiwan independence” separatist forces seriously threaten and undermine the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

The spokesperson of the Embassy emphasized that one country shall have only one foreign policy. The one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-Fiji relations and a solemn commitment made by the Fijian government to China. It should be observed and respected by all sectors of the Fijian society. The media shall not spread misinformation, which is a code of conduct universally recognized by the world's media, nor should it distort, obscure and hollow out or even violate the one-China principle under any pretext. It is of great concern that The Fiji Times, as a renowned newspaper with a history of more than 150 years, accommodates the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji to publish "Taiwan independence" remarks such as "The Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent, sovereign and democratic country", which is obviously contrary to the facts, infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and violates the basic norm of international relations and the universal consensus of the international community. The spokesperson of the Embassy expressed regret and firm opposition to this.