China Responds to Lai Ching-te's Ten Speeches on Unity: Fallacies Will Only Be Swept Into the Dustbin of History

On the 22nd, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te delivered the first of his ten speeches on unity, taking a hardline stance on cross-strait issues. On the evening of the 23rd, the Mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) responded, condemning his actions as 'a betrayal and crime against the glorious patriotic traditions of the Taiwanese people and the countless martyrs who sacrificed and dedicated themselves.' They further emphasized that Lai Ching-te's 'various absurd fallacies that contravene history, reality, and legal principles will only be swept into the dustbin of history.'

Regarding Lai Ching-te’s first speech on the topic of 'nation', he stated that Resolution 2758 only dealt with representation at the United Nations and did not involve Taiwan. He also emphasized that Taiwan had already had an independent ecosystem before historical records and written language. He also claimed that the threat from 'China' involves, beyond verbal and military intimidation, five main threats. He reiterated, 'The Republic of China, the Republic of China Taiwan, and Taiwan are all our names, they are all the names of our country, and they are all equally resonant. No matter which name is used to refer to us, we are all an independent and autonomous country.'

Regarding these cross-strait arguments, Mainland TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua issued a rare and lengthy “response to reporters” on the evening of the 23rd, strongly criticizing Lai Ching-te’s statements.

Chen Binhua stated that Lai Ching-te’s speech on the 22nd was filled with lies and deception, hostility and provocation, deliberately distorting and splitting history, wantonly peddling the fallacy of 'Taiwanese independence,' attempting to fabricate a basis for his case and to serve as propaganda for his push to initiate a 'grand recall' movement for his own political benefit. 'It is a blatant pro-Taiwan independence manifesto inciting cross-strait confrontation, a patchwork of erroneous and heretical “Taiwan independence” doctrine, thoroughly exposing his obstinate “Taiwan independence” nature.'

Chen Binhua mentioned that Lai Ching-te deliberately distorted the history of Taiwan in his speech, denied the historical fact that Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times, denied that Taiwan’s indigenous peoples migrated directly or indirectly from the Mainland, and ignored the fact that successive Chinese governments have governed Taiwan—a distortion and trampling of history.

He criticized Lai Ching-te for ignoring the historical fact that people on both sides of the strait have worked together in unity, with huge sacrifices to defeat foreign aggression and return Taiwan to the embrace of the motherland. He accused Lai of conflating the patriotic, home-loving sentiments of the Taiwanese people with 'Taiwan independence,' in an attempt to mislead the people, 'which is a betrayal and crime against the glorious patriotic traditions of the Taiwanese people and the countless martyrs who sacrificed and dedicated themselves.'

Chen Binhua also said that Lai Ching-te tried to confuse concepts in his speech, erased the victory results of World War II, ignored a series of legally effective international documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, challenged and distorted UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, falsely claimed that 'Taiwan does not belong to China,' and peddled the notion of 'mutual non-subordination,' which, he claimed, is a complete violation of international law and a brazen challenge to the authority of international law.

He said Lai Ching-te made outrageous remarks in his speech, disregarded the general desire of the Taiwan people for peace, development, exchange, and cooperation, exaggerated the so-called 'Mainland threat,' and promoted 17 so-called 'countermeasures,' manipulating 'anti-China' and 'resist China' rhetoric, strengthening 'Green terror,' obstructing cross-strait exchanges, and entirely going against the will of the people.

Chen Binhua said that history cannot be rewritten; facts cannot be denied; and right and wrong cannot be reversed. All history, facts, and legal documents relating to Taiwan prove that Taiwan has been an inseparable part of Chinese territory since ancient times. Numerous archaeological findings and textual records prove that the Chinese people were the first to develop and build Taiwan. From the Song and Yuan dynasties onwards, successive central governments of China began to set up administrative institutions in Taiwan and carry out governance. In 1885, the Qing government established Taiwan as a province, making it China’s twentieth province at the time. In April 1895, Japan forced the Qing government to sign the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki and occupied Taiwan. The 1943 Cairo Declaration issued by China, the United States, and Britain; the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation jointly signed by China, the United States, and Britain, later joined by the Soviet Union; and the Japanese instrument of surrender—all clearly required that Taiwan must be returned to China. On October 25, 1945, the Chinese government recovered Taiwan and Penghu, resuming its exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan.

He emphasized, 'On October 1, 1949, the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed, becoming the only legitimate government of all China and the only legitimate representative internationally. This was a replacement of the old regime by the new regime within the scope of the same subject of international law; China’s sovereignty and inherent territory were not changed by this. The government of the People’s Republic of China, as a matter of course, fully enjoys and exercises sovereignty over Taiwan.'

He pointed out that a series of subsequent political documents between China and Japan also confirmed the fact that Taiwan has returned to China. Taiwan is a part of China, has never been a country. The One-China principle is a basic norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community.

Chen Binhua finally stated that the various absurd fallacies fabricated by Lai Ching-te against history, reality, and legal principles 'will only be swept into the dustbin of history.' Taiwan’s future can only be decided by the 1.4 billion Chinese people, including compatriots in Taiwan. 'No matter how hard Lai Ching-te tries, he cannot change the legal fact that Taiwan is part of China, cannot shake the basic framework of the international community upholding the One-China principle, and cannot block the historic trend that the motherland will ultimately and inevitably be reunified.'