Reunification stance laid out in white paper

Document conveys willingness to win understanding on both sides of Straits

The Communist Party of China is committed to the historic mission of resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification, said a white paper issued on Wednesday.

“The historic goal of reuniting our motherland must be realized and will be realized,” said the white paper named “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era”, which was published by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China.

As China has embarked on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects, it is necessary to issue a new white paper on national reunification, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

Amid the current complex international and cross-Straits situation, the release of the white paper is also conducive to exposing “Taiwan independence” separatist forces’ collusion with external forces in making provocations and their attempt to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesman said.

In 1993 and 2000, the Chinese government published white papers on Taiwan. Over more than the past two decades, especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, theories on national reunification and policies toward Taiwan have been developing.

The new white paper offers a systematic elaboration of the principles and policies put forward by the CPC and the Chinese government in advancing national reunification in the new era. It also conveys the willingness of the CPC and the Chinese government to continue to achieve peaceful reunification and win the understanding and support of compatriots on both sides, especially Taiwan compatriots, and the international community, said the spokesperson.

The white paper said that, under the Party’s leadership, people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits have set out on a path of peaceful development and made many breakthroughs in improving cross-Straits relations. Increased exchanges, broader cooperation and closer interactions have brought tangible benefits to people across the Straits, especially in Taiwan, which demonstrates that crossStraits friendship and cooperation are mutually beneficial.

“Never before have we been so close to, confident in, and capable of achieving the goal of national rejuvenation. The same is true when it comes to our goal of complete national reunification,” it said.

Peaceful reunification and “one country, two systems” are the basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question and the best approach to realizing national reunification, according to the white paper.

“We are ready to create vast space for peaceful reunification, but we will leave no room for separatist activities in any form,” it said, adding that the use of force would be the last resort taken under compelling circumstances.

The actions of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan have resulted in tension in crossStraits relations, and external forces have encouraged and instigated provocative actions by separatist forces, according to the white paper.

“Relying on external forces will achieve nothing for Taiwan’s separatists, and using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail,” it said.

Wu Yongping, director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Taiwan Studies, said it is the general will and a historic mission for the Chinese nation to achieve the reunification of the two sides of the Straits.

Although differences do exist between the two sides, people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan are all Chinese, and more exchanges and integrated development can help resolve differences and find more in common, Wu said, adding that when conditions permit, the two sides will be reunified.

He emphasized that reunification is a matter between the two sides, so no other country should interfere, and it is believed that through peaceful consultation, people on the two sides have the wisdom to discuss a set of solutions to solve their problems.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the white paper, which fully elaborated the historical context of the Taiwan question and China’s policy and stance, aims to send the most authoritative message to the world about the Taiwan question.

As the situation across the Straits is still developing, Wang called for staying vigilant about the United States, which might not be resigned to its failure on the Taiwan question, and may gang up with others to add fuel to the flames by expanding military presence in the region to escalate tensions in an attempt to create new, bigger crises.

He called for keeping a watch on “Taiwan independence” forces, who might miscalculate the situation and redouble their efforts to collude with external forces to willfully go further on the path of splitting the nation.

He also underlined the need to be wary of politicians from certain countries who might attempt to follow suit in performing political stunts based on their political interests. Such acts would severely damage the political foundation of foreign countries’ diplomatic relations with China as well as having an impact on the United Nations Charter and the international system established after World War II, he added.