One-China support narrows DPP agenda

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The frequent reaffirmation of the one-China principle by countries around the world has highlighted the gap between the Democratic Progressive Party authorities' claims of international support for their separatist agenda and the official positions of most sovereign states, analysts and officials said.

They said the DPP authorities' pursuit of a "Taiwan independence" separatist agenda, in defiance of the widely recognized one-China principle, has become the fundamental obstacle to Taiwan's proper participation in international activities.

In recent weeks, several countries have reiterated their commitment to the one-China principle through diplomatic engagements and official statements, reaffirming that their relations with China are based on this fundamental position.

On Aug 5, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said in an address to the National Parliament that relations with China are of vital importance to the country's development, reaffirming that his government will continue to uphold the one-China principle.

During Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's visit to China from July 16 to 20, he said Thailand firmly adheres to the one-China policy and will never support any "Taiwan independence" activities. A joint statement issued by the two governments on July 20 said Thailand supports China's efforts to achieve peaceful reunification and opposes "Taiwan independence" in any form.

On July 16, Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said in a social media post that his country had reaffirmed its one-China policy and would close the "Chinese Taipei Economic Office" in Papua New Guinea.

During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visits to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway from July 2 to 7, the four Nordic countries reiterated their adherence to the one-China principle, which they said serves as an important political foundation for developing bilateral relations with China.

Cambodia also reaffirmed its position after the DPP authorities announced the suspension of so-called visa facilitation measures for Cambodian citizens. The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that Cambodia regards Taiwan as part of China and will not change its long-standing position of upholding the one-China principle.

The repeated reaffirmations came as the DPP authorities have accused the mainland of using international exchanges to "diminish Taiwan's status". In response, Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference in July that "Taiwan independence" separatist activities have no future and are increasingly heading toward a dead end.

He stressed that the one-China principle is a prevailing consensus of the international community and a fundamental norm governing international relations.

Zhu Guilan, an assistant professor at Tsinghua University's Institute for Taiwan Studies, said the DPP authorities have taken isolated unofficial interactions and remarks by individual politicians in certain countries and portrayed them as evidence of so-called international support for Taiwan.

"Such claims stand in stark contrast to the official positions of sovereign countries around the world," she said, adding that the DPP's narrative on "Taiwan independence" lacks a foundation in reality and has continued to lose credibility.

So far, 183 countries worldwide have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.

The principle is based on three key elements: There is only 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 legitimate government representing the whole of China, according to China's Position Paper on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 represented a change of government, not a change in China's sovereignty or territorial integrity. Taiwan, which was returned to China after Japan's colonial rule ended in 1945, remains part of China, the ministry said.

In 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which restored the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN and recognized the representatives of the PRC government as the only legitimate representatives of China at the UN. Following the adoption of the resolution, the UN Secretariat began using the designation "Taiwan, Province of China" in official records and documents when referring to the island.

"Upholding the core principles of the UN Charter, including sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs, the one-China principle has gained broad recognition from the international community and has become a basic norm governing international relations that cannot be challenged," Zhu said.

The one-China principle has also been reflected in bilateral diplomatic documents between China and other countries.

Zhu said some external forces, driven by geopolitical interests, have attempted to create an impression of support for Taiwan through unofficial exchanges, visits by lawmakers and civil activities. The DPP authorities, she added, have deliberately amplified such signals and used them for political purposes on the island.

"The repeated and explicit reaffirmation of the one-China principle by countries around the world demonstrates that most members of the international community do not support attempts by certain external forces to use the Taiwan question to contain China or create tensions across the Taiwan Strait," she said.

Such a stance, she added, has further exposed the lack of international support for the DPP's separatist narrative.

Zhu said these countries' firm adherence to the one-China principle has narrowed the channels through which the DPP authorities seek to expand their so-called international space, and weakened their hopes of relying on external forces to interfere in cross-Strait affairs.

DPP strategy

After the DPP came into office in 2016 with its "Taiwan independence" separatist agenda, its refusal to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, led to escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Since then, the DPP authorities have pursued various channels to expand Taiwan's "international space", including unofficial visits and civil exchange events. These efforts have been criticized by the mainland as attempts to seek external support for a separatist agenda.

However, despite these efforts, Taiwan's international space has continued to shrink under the DPP's rule, as countries around the world have maintained their commitment to the one-China principle.

In May, the 79th World Health Assembly decided not to include a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer on its agenda, marking the 10th consecutive year that a Taiwan-related proposal has failed to pass.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and China's Permanent Mission to the UN Office at Geneva said the decision was made because the Taiwan authorities have persisted in their separatist position of pursuing "Taiwan independence".

From 2009 to 2016, when the Chinese Kuomintang was in office and adhered to the 1992 Consensus, Taiwan participated in the WHA as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei" for eight consecutive years, based on consensus reached between the mainland and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, since 2016, 10 countries, including Panama, the Solomon Islands, Nicaragua and Honduras, have successively severed their so-called diplomatic ties with the Taiwan authorities and established diplomatic relations with China.

While the DPP authorities have repeatedly accused the mainland of "suppressing" Taiwan's international participation and portrayed themselves as "victims" in an attempt to gain external support, Zhu said the fundamental reason for Taiwan's difficulties in expanding its international engagement lies in the authorities' obstinate separatist stance of pursuing "Taiwan independence".

Recent developments have further illustrated this trend.

South Africa recently listed Taiwan as "Taiwan, China" in its electronic visa system. Earlier, the South African government had downgraded Taiwan's representative office and required it to relocate from Pretoria, the country's administrative capital. The DPP authorities protested the moves.

In March, after Cameroon designated Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China" in its visa system, Taiwan's external affairs department announced that it would not participate in the 14th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference held in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

In April, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions for Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's planned transit during his visit to Eswatini. The decision resulted in the cancellation of Lai's trip. On May 2, Lai later traveled secretly by air to Eswatini, a move described by some media outlets as "diplomacy by stealth".

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the KMT, also questioned Lai's approach, saying that the international community accepts the 1992 Consensus and does not support "Taiwan independence".

"Why does the DPP insist on going its own way, leading to repeated setbacks and leaving the island in a difficult situation?" Cheng said after Lai's planned trip was disrupted.

Way forward

Zhu said the mainland has always supported Taiwan's participation in international activities related to people's livelihoods under the one-China principle.

However, she noted that the DPP authorities' repeated attempts to pursue "de jure independence" through international affairs and challenge the international consensus have made it increasingly difficult for Taiwan to gain access to relevant channels for international participation.

Public opinion on the island has also criticized the DPP authorities' approach to external relations. Following Lai's visit to Eswatini, reports revealed that Taiwan planned to invest NT$25 billion ($775 million) in the country. Opposition parties and commentators in Taiwan questioned the move, saying the authorities had overlooked pressing livelihood issues at home while providing large amounts of financial support overseas.

Zhu said the few remaining "diplomatic allies" maintained through the DPP's "dollar diplomacy" have a fragile foundation. Meanwhile, years of lobbying efforts and protest campaigns have failed to help Taiwan secure observer status at the WHA.

"Such actions are essentially political stunts driven by the 'Taiwan independence' agenda and cannot secure stable participation rights for Taiwan in international organizations," she said.

Zhu said only by abandoning the separatist stance and returning to the 1992 Consensus can cross-Strait relations return to healthy interaction, enabling Taiwan to achieve sustainable and meaningful participation in international affairs based on the one-China principle.