Question: Germany’s Foreign Minister reportedly said at a UN meeting that if the mainland invades Taiwan, Germany will give support to Taiwan. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this?

Hua Chunying: I assume you are referring to the remarks made by the German Foreign Minister at the Review Conference of the NPT. Her indication that China broke international law and attacked its smaller neighbor lacks basic knowledge of history and does not square with facts. 

The historical ins and outs and legal facts about the Taiwan question are crystal clear. No individual or force can deny or distort them. I do not have to go far back into history to find an example. Around the end of the Second World War, the Cairo Declaration of 1943 and the Potsdam Proclamation of 1945 were very clear about China’s rights over Taiwan. “All the territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese, including Taiwan and Penghu Islands, shall be restored” to China. The UNGA Resolution 2758 of 1971 decided to restore all these rights to the PRC and reaffirmed the one-China principle.

The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. Some people compare Ukraine to Taiwan in order to distort the definition of concepts and mislead public perceptions. This constitutes interference in China’s domestic affair and we will definitely not accept that. 

The one-China principle is a universally recognized norm in international relations and the political foundation and fundamental prerequisite for China’s relations with other countries. Breaking that principle will undermine bilateral relations. We hope Germany will have an objective and accurate understanding of the Taiwan question and be careful with getting swayed by the US. We hope Germany will keep its commitment to the one-China policy with concrete action and act prudently on Taiwan-related issues.