On May 22, 2024, John Chen, the Representative of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia, wrote an article titled “China’s Misinterpretation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758.” 

In this article, Chen asserts that "China repeatedly misinterprets the UN resolution and inappropriately associates it with the 'One China Principle.'” According to John Chen, China’s aim is not only to limit and exclude Taiwan from international organizations but also to use this resolution as a weapon to universalize the 'One China Policy' to force other countries to accept its political claims, undermine the international order, and establish a legal basis for a future military attack on Taiwan.

Chen's argument is built without reference to objective facts and official international resolutions. According to the United Nations' official website, Resolution 2758 is the only resolution passed at the 1971 UN General Assembly that states “Taiwan is a province of China.” 

On October 25, 1971, the 26th UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758 with a majority vote, deciding to restore all rights to the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China in the UN. This completely resolved the issue of Taiwan’s representation by China in the UN politically, legally, and procedurally.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan, along with all political parties in Taiwan and the Taiwanese government, need to engage in constructive dialogue based on full trust in the central Chinese government to ensure a peaceful reunification process. Peace is the aspiration of all people on both sides of the Strait. Conversely, the continuous conflict will only benefit parties outside of China. 

This article narrates how the issue of Taiwan's independence will economically benefit the United States. Without any external intervention, the reunification of China can proceed peacefully.

The Principle of 'One China Policy'
Lai Ching-te, from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), elected as the 8th president of Taiwan in the 2024 election, poses a unique challenge to the process of China’s reunification. The DPP authorities in Taiwan have ignored the goodwill of the central Chinese government and have aggressively pursued political interests that only benefit the DPP.

This attitude was evident during the World Health Assembly (WHA), the international health body under the WHO (World Health Organization). On Monday, WHO member countries decided not to invite Taiwan to the organization's annual assembly in Geneva in May 2024. Before the WHA session, nearly 140 countries clearly supported China’s position, and almost 100 countries sent letters to the WHO Director-General or made public statements reaffirming the UN’s adherence to the 'One China Policy,' opposing Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, emphasizing that Taiwan lacks a political basis to participate in the WHA, and stating that issues related to Taiwan should not disrupt the meeting process. 

These voices of justice reflect dissatisfaction and warnings against the DPP authorities in Taiwan and efforts to uphold and enforce international law and justice.

The WHA’s stance aligns with the political stance of most countries globally in supporting the 'One China Policy.' The UN, as the highest international body, respects the 'One China Policy' and firmly opposes any attempts to distort, nullify, or challenge the fundamental system of international law, the integrity of all countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity, compliance with UN resolutions and WHO rules, and the post-World War II international order.

There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China. However, the DPP authorities in Taiwan and certain countries have proposed motions related to Taiwan in an attempt to create 'Two Chinas' or 'One China, One Taiwan' in the WHO and other UN bodies, seriously violating international law, betraying political commitments made to China by relevant countries, and violating basic norms governing international relations.

The return of Taiwan to China is a critical process of China’s reunification, not just an internal affair of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait but also a significant issue of international concern. The majority of countries globally and the UN, as the most important international organization, recognize the 'One China Policy,' demonstrating that most countries support China and firmly oppose any attempts to distort, nullify, and challenge the existing international system.

A series of international legal documents, such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, have clearly defined China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 both affirm the 'One China Policy' principle. All peace-loving parties and those who uphold UN resolutions will not allow activities leading to Taiwan's independence as it seriously violates China’s territorial sovereignty and undermines and subverts international rules.

US Intervention In the Issue of Taiwan's Independence 
Regarding China’s reunification, we must fully understand that the process is not a smooth journey but a challenging one that requires effort and sacrifice. 

All parties should face this wisely, based on objective and legitimate resolutions, so that the grand goal of building and reunifying China will not be affected by any interference, and the peaceful reunification of both sides of the strait will eventually be achieved.

The US political situation significantly determines their intervention in Taiwan. Due to intense competition between the two parties, 'anti-China' sentiment has become one of the most crucial political truths. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have the same political stance of 'anti-China' politics. No politician from either party takes the initiative to create a peaceful resolution for the Taiwan issue. In recent years, there have been many irrational and extreme politicians who care only about making noise without considering the consequences.

It is clear that the US has adopted many extreme actions in recent years, such as passing over ten Taiwan-related bills within a few days in 2023, which is entirely unreasonable. Although the government and military might consider more rational thinking, politicians in Congress do not.

Who Benefits from Taiwan's Independence?
The US government is the most active in political efforts to promote the discourse of Taiwan's independence -- from openly building and leading global public opinion to support Taiwan's independence and sending government officials for diplomatic visits to Taiwan, to more covert methods like infiltrating Taiwan’s government and decision-making bodies.

The DPP authorities believe they can relax by paying 'protection money' to the US, but they do not realize this is a path of 'self-destruction.' US arms sales to Taiwan will not guarantee Taiwan’s security but will create tension and antagonism between both sides of the Strait, hamper Taiwan’s development, and even push Taiwan into the difficulties of war, leading it into a dangerous conflict.

China's sanctions against foreign companies selling arms to Taiwan send a clear signal not only to the companies involved but also to the US government and Taiwan independence forces. Any steps to undermine the 'One China Policy' principle and obstruct China’s reunification will never succeed.

The future of Taiwan lies in the reunification of the country, and Taiwan's security depends on the joint efforts of people on both sides of the strait under the 'One China Policy' principle. The issue of Taiwan's security cannot be resolved through US arms sales to Taiwan, as this only poses a significant threat to Taiwan’s security.

The DPP authorities in Taiwan should stop provocative actions that escalate Taiwan-related issues. They should build a stance of not underestimating the Chinese people's determination and ability to fully achieve national reunification, release Taiwan’s dependency on US arms as soon as possible, recognize the '1992 Consensus,' and return to the correct path of political resolution of cross-strait issues. The tide of history rolls forward and is unstoppable.

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Veronika Shinta Saraswati is the head of the International Relations Program at the Institute for China-Indonesia Partnership Studies.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.