On August 4, 2022, H.E. Ambassador Qian Bo published a signed article entitled China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Fiji Sun. The full text of the article is as follows:

On August 2, 2022, in disregard of China's strong opposition and serious representations, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited China's Taiwan region. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence". China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States. 

As the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji, I feel obliged to make the following clarification on China’s position to our friends in Fiji.

--The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. Although Taiwan hasn’t reunited with China’s mainland, China’s sovereignty and territory have never been divided, and the fact that the two sides across the Taiwan Straits belong to one and the same China has never been changed. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This has been clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, including the U.S. and Fiji, 181 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.

--The one-China principle is the centerpiece of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués, and the premise and foundation for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. In 1979, the U.S. made a clear commitment in the China-U.S. Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations -- "The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan." Congress, as a part of the U.S. Government, is inherently obliged to strictly observe the one-China policy of the U.S. Government and refrain from having any official exchanges with China's Taiwan region. China is all along opposed to the visit to Taiwan by U.S. congressional members, and the U.S. executive branch has the responsibility to stop such visit. Since Speaker Pelosi is the incumbent leader of the U.S. Congress, her visit to and activities in Taiwan, in whatever form and for whatever reason, is a major political provocation to upgrade U.S. official exchanges with Taiwan.

--Currently, the Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive issue at the very heart of China-U.S. relations. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle, go all out to push forward "de-sinicization", and promote "incremental independence". The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, and emboldens "Taiwan independence" separatist activities. These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it. 

--The position of the Chinese Government and people on the Taiwan question has been consistent. It is the firm commitment of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to resolutely safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the common aspiration and sacred responsibility of all Chinese sons and daughters to realize the complete reunification of the motherland. The will of the people is not to be defied, and the trend of the times cannot be reversed. No country, no forces and no individual should ever misestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese Government and people to defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity and to achieve national reunification and rejuvenation. China will definitely take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the U.S. Speaker's visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. 

-- China is willing to coexist peacefully and develop together with other countries, but will never allow any country to undermine China's stability and development. No matter how the U.S. supports or connives at the "Taiwan independence" forces, it will be all in vain. The U.S. side's act in bad faith on the Taiwan question is despicable, will only further bankrupt the U.S.' national credibility and leave more ugly records of gross meddling in other countries' internal affairs in history. The U.S. should not fantasize about manipulating geopolitical games. Seeking peace, stability, development and win-win cooperation are the common aspirations of regional countries. 

In short, the one-China principle is the overwhelming consensus of the international community, the political foundation for China's relations with other countries, the core of China's core interests, and a red line and bottom line that cannot be crossed. Provoking trouble on the Taiwan question in an attempt to delay China's development and undermine China's peaceful rise will be totally futile and will surely lead to total failure. This time, the U.S. and Taiwan authorities have made provocations together first, whereas China has been compelled to act in self-defense. Any countermeasure to be taken by China would be a justified and necessary response to the U.S. oblivion to China’s repeated démarches and the U.S.’s unscrupulous behavior. And China is only exercising its right as any independent sovereign country would, not to mention that China is a country of more than 1.4 billion people with over 5,000 years of history.

The one-China principle is also the political foundation of the China-Fiji relations. In the 47 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Fiji has always firmly adhered to the one-China principle. Honourable Prime Minister Bainimarama and the Fijian Government have publicly reiterated on many occasions that the Fijian side will firmly adhere to the one-China principle. We expect that Fiji, as a longstanding and close friend of China, will continue to abide by the one-China principle and promote the sustained, healthy and steady growth of China-Fiji Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.