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The Chinese Government Treats Taiwan's External Contacts and Activities with the One-China Principle
When handing Taiwan-related issues in international affairs, the Chinese government constantly sticks to the one-China principle. According to the International Law, a sovereign country can only have one central government as its representative. Taiwan, as an inalienable part of China, has no right to represent China in the world; hence it can't establish diplomatic relations or develop relations of an official nature with any foreign country.
1) Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations and affiliated organs.
The United Nations is an international organization composed of countries with independent sovereignty. In 1971, the 26th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution 2758,which restored the legal right of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and expelled the "representative" from Taiwan in the United Nations. The resolution indicates that the problem of China's representation in the United Nations was solved fairly and completely in politics, law and procedure. As the main body representing China in international law, the People's Republic of China has the legal and unique right to represent China.
However, in an attempt to show its so-called status of "independent political entity", the Taiwan authorities repeatedly claimed that Resolution 2758 only solved the representative right of China instead of the representative right of Taiwan and attempted to return to the United Nations. Since 1993, the Taiwan authorities have spread their views in any possible occasion and developed money diplomacy by all means, attempting to return to the United Nations.
The Chinese government and people firmly oppose the Taiwan authorities' plot of creating "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" by returning to the United Nations repeatedly reiterates the solemn stand of the Chinese government and firmly upholds Resolution 2758, tolerating no intervention by any country of China's internal affairs and infringement on China's sovereignty. The Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the majority of the UN members have all supported this stance of China. On June 24, 1995, on the eve of the United Nations Charter, Secretary-General Grail reiterated that Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations. At the 54th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1999, the representatives of the U.S., the U.K., and France delivered for the first time speeches to openly support the stance of the Chinese government and to oppose Taiwan's accession to the United Nations. The 55th session of the General Assembly in 2000,the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council adopted the unanimous stand again to oppose Taiwan's accession to the United Nations. Since 1993, the so-called motion of "returning to the United Nations" has been rejected to be placed on the agenda of the General Assembly each year.
Taiwan's failure of returning to the United Nations reflects the stand and attitude of most UN members to maintain the authority of the United Nations Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations.
2)Taiwan bears no right to join any intergovernmental international organizations composed of countries with independent sovereignty.
The People's Republic of China, as the legal government that exercises sovereignty on behalf of all the Chinese people, has the right and duty to join any international organizations and take part in their activities. Taiwan, as a part of China, cannot and has no qualification to join these international organizations.
In principle, Taiwan has no right to take part in certain intergovernmental international organizations that allow to admit regions. But the Chinese government handles Taiwan's participation in some intergovernmental international organizations in which some regions are allowed to be admitted besides countries with independent sovereignty, in some form approved and accepted by the Chinese Government, according to their nature, statutes, regulations and the actual condition and under the prerequisite of the one-China principle. Up to now, Taiwan, as a region of China and under the name of Taipei, China, joined such regional economic organizations as the Asia Development Bank in 1985 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1991.
The Issue of Taiwan's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). China is one of the founding members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor of the WTO. After the United Nations restored the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in 1971, the GATT abolished Taiwan's observer status. In July 1986, China made a formal application for restoration of the contracting parties, the GATT board chairman read a statement to handle Taiwan's entry in line with the principle that China enters before Taiwan, there is one China, and Taiwan should be under the name of the "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen and Mazu," or "Taipei, China" for short. On January i, 1995, the WTO replaced the GATT. In 2001, China and Taipei, China joined the WTO successively on the basis of the principle.
3) Principles in handling relations between non-governmental international organizations and Taiwan.
With respect to some non-governmental (people-to-people) international organizations, according to their nature, statutes and regulations, and actual situation, under the condition that agreement or understanding has been reached between the corresponding organizations of the People's Republic of China and the parties concerned, and the national organizations of China have joined under the designation of China, the corresponding organizations of Taiwan can participate in them or their activities, as a region of China, under the designation of "Taiwan, China" or "Chinese Taiwan", or "Taiwan Province of China", or "Taipei, China" or "Chinese Taipei". Taiwan can participate in this kind of organizations and their activities on the premise of conforming to the principle of one China, the premise of conforming to the principle of one China, and the organizations of Taiwan should attend as a regional member, not a state member, in the name of so-and-so organizations of” Taiwan, China" or "Chinese Taiwan", or” Taipei, China" or "Chinese Taipei" or in personal capacity. If some organizations stipulate in the statutes that only state representatives can participate, or only one institute of the country can attend the organization, Taiwan institute will not be allowed to attend it. If it is stipulated that one country only has one vote, Taiwan has no right to vote.
4) The question of Taiwan attending international sports organizations and sports activates.
With regard to Taiwan's participation in international sports organizations and sports activities, the Chinese government will handle it in the light of its participation in the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC, founded in 1894, is a non-governmental international organization. The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) was recognized by the IOC as early as 1922 and dispatched delegations to attend Olympic Games since 1932. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, China sent sportsmen to attend the 15th Olympic Games held in Helsinki in 1952. However shortly after that, the then President of the IOC (from the US) included Taiwan in the list of National Olympic Committees (NOC) approved by IOC.The Chinese government made representations many times but of no avail and declared to suspend its relation with IOC in 1958. In October 1979, IOC held a meeting in Nagoya, Japan and made the official decision on restoring the right of the People's Republic of China in the IOC in November of the same year. The organization of Taiwan was renamed as "Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee".
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