China News Agency, Beijing, August 7th: What is the "bowl cake" of the "Taiwan Relations Act"?
Author Li Li, Associate Professor, Taiwan Research Institute, Peking Union University
The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan recently, causing the situation in the Taiwan Strait to suddenly become tense. The Chinese side took firm countermeasures. The Chinese People's Liberation Army successively held large-scale live-fire drills to deter the US-Taiwan alliance and the Taiwan authorities' "relying on the US to seek independence and refusal." Reunification fantasies and deterrence of the U.S. attempt to "use Taiwan to control China" also delayed the consideration of the proposal for the "2022 Taiwan Policy Act".
Pelosi justified her visit to Taiwan, saying that this visit does not conflict with the long-term policy of the United States guided by the "Taiwan Relations Act" of 1979, the Sino-U.S. Joint Communiqué, and the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan. The U.S. side has made a very firm commitment to Taiwan and will stand with Taiwan,” and so on.
In an article in The Washington Post, she also cited the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and "six guarantees" to Taiwan as excuses for her visit to Taiwan, claiming that it did not violate the US one-China policy.
What is the "Bowl Cake" (Taiwan and Fujian snacks, generally refers to things) under the "Taiwan Relations Act"?
In fact, the so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Assurances" for Taiwan were unilaterally fabricated by some anti-China forces in the United States. Ignoring and trampling on the basic norms of international law and international relations.
Based on the attitude of clearing the source and clarifying the right and wrong of the matter and the historical latitude and longitude, it is necessary to sort out and analyze the "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Guarantees" for Taiwan.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States has twists and turns, and Deng Xiaoping has made a final decision
To understand the ins and outs of the "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Guarantees" for Taiwan, we must start with the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
In the 1970s, Mao Zedong's decision to "ping-pong diplomacy" opened the door between China and the United States.
In 1972, US President Nixon's visit to China marked the break of the isolation between the two major powers since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In the late 1970s, Deng Xiaoping presided over the negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States must adhere to the "three principles", namely, abolishing the treaty, withdrawing troops, and severing diplomatic relations, that is, abolishing the "mutual defense treaty" between the United States and Taiwan, withdrawing the US military stationed in Taiwan within the year, and the United States cutting off the so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. .
At that time, U.S. President Carter sent Secretary of State Vance and U.S. National Security Assistant to the U.S. President Brzezinski to visit China to discuss some principles of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. After a total of six discussions, the US basically agreed with the "three principles" proposed by China for establishing diplomatic relations.
It should be said that the position of the US is basically in line with China's conditions. The conditions for establishing diplomatic relations between China and the US are basically mature, but there are still differences between the two sides on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan.
During his meeting with Woodcock, Deng Xiaoping said that the issue of arms sales to Taiwan has injected a destructive mentality between the mainland and Taiwan, which will undermine China's peaceful reunification.
Woodcock explained the U.S. position on arms sales to Taiwan that China is concerned about, and expressed that it must sell selected defensive weapons to Taiwan in a controlled manner.
Deng Xiaoping was enraged when he heard this and said loudly, "We do not agree with the sale of arms to Taiwan by the United States!"
In April 2021, the precious historical archives of China-US table tennis diplomacy will be exhibited in Shanghai.
Photo by Tang Yanjun
Deng Xiaoping sternly refuted the US view.
He said, if the United States continued to sell arms to Taiwan, how could Chiang Ching-kuo come to the negotiating table?
If he never comes to the negotiating table, it naturally means that China has to use force to resolve the Taiwan issue.
Why is the US government so interested in Taiwan?
Why does the US government, on the one hand, say that it hopes to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully, but on the other hand, sells arms to Taiwan recklessly?
This will only push the Taiwan authorities further and further away from the negotiating table.
If so, won't it lead to war?
Deng Xiaoping clearly expressed China's position, that is, the Chinese government opposes US arms sales to Taiwan.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States has reached the last moment of decision.
At a critical moment, Deng Xiaoping showed his leadership style with light weight. With the grandeur of a strategist and the courage of a statesman, he decisively decided not to let the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan affect the overall situation of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, thus affecting China's reform and opening up and socialist modernization. Construction business.
Deng Xiaoping made a final decision and agreed that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States would proceed as originally planned, to achieve the normalization of Sino-US relations, and leave the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan to be discussed and resolved after the establishment of diplomatic relations.
On January 1, 1979, China and the United States formally established diplomatic relations.
The United States recognizes that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government of China and that Taiwan is a part of China.
To this extent, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.
Obviously, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan violated the US commitment in the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, and also violated the one-China principle.
The "Taiwan Relations Act" was released, leaving a tail in Sino-US relations
After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, Deng Xiaoping made another successful visit to the United States, and Sino-US relations developed smoothly.
However, some U.S. congressmen attacked the Carter administration for making "too many concessions" in the process of establishing diplomatic relations between China and the United States, so they concocted the "Taiwan Relations Act" which seriously violated the principles of the Sino-U.S. communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations and obviously interfered in China's internal affairs to partially offset and amend the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The spirit of the joint communiqué.
This law contains many things that violate the spirit of the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States: First, this law in disguise restores the "mutual defense treaty" between the United States and Taiwan that was terminated by the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and proposes to provide "defensive weapons" to Taiwan to make it "Maintain the ability to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would endanger the security of the people of Taiwan or the social and economic system"; secondly, this law also provides in legal form that "the United States will provide Taiwan with adequate self-defense defense materiel and defense services in the quantities necessary for its capability”; third, the Act also attempts to give some official color to U.S.-Taiwan relations.
This bill continues to treat Taiwan as a "country", which violates the principles agreed upon by China and the United States when the two countries established diplomatic relations and the commitment of the United States, and is a blatant interference in China's internal affairs.
In April 2021, the precious historical archives of China-US table tennis diplomacy will be exhibited in Shanghai.
Photo by Tang Yanjun
Deng Xiaoping expressed strong opposition to the "Taiwan Relations Act" on different occasions.
When he met with the visiting delegation of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, he said: The political basis for the normalization of Sino-US relations is the recognition that there is only one China.
Now this political foundation has been disturbed a bit.
China is not satisfied with the "Taiwan Relations Act" passed by your Congress.
The most essential problem with this bill is that it does not actually recognize that there is only one China.
Many provisions of the bill still protect Taiwan.
The United States believes that protecting Taiwan is in the interests of the United States, and it also says that it will sell arms to Taiwan, including that the United States will intervene if something happens.
Therefore, this bill actually negates the political basis for the normalization of Sino-US relations.
On January 4, 1981, Deng Xiaoping made an important speech on the "Taiwan Relations Act" when he met Stevens, the deputy leader of the Republican Party of the US Senate, and Chen Xiangmei, the vice chairman of the US President's Export Council.
Deng Xiaoping's clear attitude had a great influence on the Reagan administration.
On February 6, 1981, the U.S. State Department officially announced that the U.S. would abide by the solemn responsibilities that the U.S. should assume in the Joint Communiqué on the Normalization of U.S.-China Relations.
On March 16, Secretary of State Hague made a statement to further clarify the Reagan administration's Taiwan policy.
He said he envisages maintaining unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan on the basis of abiding by the U.S. "Relations Act" with Taiwan.
This is actually an announcement to abandon the escalation of US-Taiwan relations promised by Reagan during the election campaign.
Although the Reagan administration gradually gave up the plan to restore official relations between the US and Taiwan, it did not restrain its arms sales to Taiwan. China and the US had a heated dispute over the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan. On August 17, the "Joint Communiqué of the People's Republic of China and the United States of America" was published, namely the "August 17 Communiqué".
The U.S. side promises: first, that the performance and quantity of its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed the levels in recent years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States; second, it is ready to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan; A problem is finally solved.
It should be said that this is a great progress, but the United States played a two-faced approach and made six-point assurances to the Taiwan authorities on July 14 before the communique was announced.
There is no doubt that these "six guarantees" not only violate the three Sino-US joint communiques, but also violate the one-China principle. They are invalid and illegal.
On August 5, 2022, the navy of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army continued to conduct actual combat training in the waters around Taiwan Island.
This is a close-up shot of the Taiwanese ship from our ship.
Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Lin Jian)
Judging from the background and content of the "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Guarantees" to Taiwan reviewed above, Pelosi's excuse for visiting Taiwan is far-fetched.
The so-called "Taiwan Relations Act" is a domestic law of the United States. China has never recognized it and firmly opposes it.
As for the "six guarantees" to Taiwan, it is only an internal document, which is illegal and invalid.
Therefore, China's countermeasures are reasonable and legal, and they are also in line with the basic norms of international relations, and have won strong support from the entire Chinese people and the international community.
The political farce of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will not change the historical trend of China's reunification.
No country, any force, or anyone should misestimate or underestimate the strong determination, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, achieve national reunification and national rejuvenation.
The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces "relying on the United States to seek independence" are even more illusions, destined to be a dead end, and the noose around their necks will only get tighter.
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About the Author:
Li Li, Associate Professor of the Taiwan Research Institute of Beijing Union University, presided over 20 or 30 projects of the State Taiwan Affairs Office, the Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Philosophy and Social Affairs Office; published 300 academic papers and current review articles More than 20 books; published more than 20 books.
His main works include: Witnessing the Situation in the Taiwan Strait (123), The Kuomintang Ups and Downs in Taiwan - From the Jiangs and Sons to Lien Chan Ma Ying-jeou, The DPP Ups and Downs in Taiwan, The Kuomintang and Taiwan's Political Ecology Research, The History of the Political Development of Taiwan's Political Parties, "The History of the Political Development of Political Parties in Taiwan" Theory and Practice of One Country, Two Systems, etc.