Q: It is reported that eight members from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) started a visit to China’s Taiwan region on November 1, including a Belgian parliamentarian. What is your comment on this?

A: We have noted relevant reports. A member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives joined a group of IPAC parliamentarians and sneaked a visit to China’s Taiwan region. This seriously violates the one-China principle, undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and constitutes a serious interference in China’s internal affairs. The Chinese side hence expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation.

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 is clearly recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. It is also the political foundation of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and other countries, including Belgium. Any act that violates the one-China principle will cause damage to bilateral relations between China and relevant countries.

Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. Complete reunification of China must be realized, and it can, without doubt, be realized. This is an unstoppable historical trend. The Taiwan question is an internal affair of China and brooks no external interference. We strongly urge the relevant Belgian parliamentarian to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, genuinely return to the political commitment of observing the one-China principle, and not embolden the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, so as to avoid further damage to China-Belgium relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.