The building of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia Photo: VCG

The Chinese Embassy in North Macedonia on Friday published an open letter to Antonijo Miloshoski, vice president of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, regarding a meeting between Miloshoski, together with two MPs, and the so-called "Taipei Representative Office in Italy," asking whether they have thoroughly weighed the consequences of undermining China's core interests and wounding the feelings of over 1.4 billion friendly Chinese people. 

"This severe erroneous act violates the one-China principle, a political commitment North Macedonia made while establishing diplomatic ties with China and a position reaffirmed by President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, hence undermines the political foundation of our bilateral relationship," read the open letter.

It also sends out a wrong signal to separatist forces advocating "Taiwan independence," the open letter said, expressing strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this. 

Taiwan is part of China. This is history and reality. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Eight decades ago, the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression restored Taiwan under China's sovereign jurisdiction. Both the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, issued by major victorious nations of World War II, affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan, which constitutes an integral part of the post-war international order, according to the letter.

Resolution 2758 was later adopted in 1971 by the UN General Assembly with an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN. It resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN once and for all. The only reference to the Taiwan region in the UN is "Taiwan, Province of China." Taiwan was never a state, not in the past, neither will it be by any chance in the future, it said. 

In 1993, Joint Commniqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Macedonia was signed. It stipulates in explicit terms that "the Government of the Republic of Macedonia recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, and Taiwan as an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. The Government of the Republic of Macedonia affirms that it will not establish any form of official relations with Taiwan." In 2001, the above-mentioned commitments were solemnly reaffirmed in the Joint Communiqué Between The People's Republic of China And The Republic of Macedonia on the Normalization of Relations, according to the embassy.

The principle of sovereignty constitutes the cornerstone of the UN Charter. The one-China principle has long become a universally recognized consensus of the international community. Bilateral political commitments and international obligations must be honored in full and in good faith, it said.

Having served as Foreign Minister and chaired the Foreign Policy Committee for quite a long period, vice president Miloshoski should have been absolutely aware of the extreme importance and sensitivity of the Taiwan question, fully respecting sovereignty of any other state, and upholding international law. 

Yet what we have recently witnessed is beyond comprehension — insisting on visiting Taiwan region last year in an official capacity despite China's repeated strong objections, and meeting with so-called representatives of the Taiwan authorities this time in the Assembly building, a national legislature body — provides a platform for separatist forces advocating "Taiwan independence." We have sufficient reasons to ask where does the vice president intend to lead bilateral ties to?

The vice president often boasts of being an elected representative, claiming to represent the will of the Macedonian people. Then please listen attentively to their voices. Is flagrantly violating political commitments and treaty obligations conducive to the international image of North Macedonia? Have the consequences of bluntly undermining the core interests, territorial integrity, and national dignity of a major power — while wounding the feelings of over 1.4 billion friendly Chinese people —been thoroughly weighed? Is abandoning a vast market, future development opportunities, and promising prospects for cooperation—such a short-sighted act of "penny wise but pound foolish"—truly in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of the Macedonian people?

The Chinese Embassy would like to reiterate that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and a red line that must not be crossed. Recently, China's national legislature voted to designate October 25 as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration. Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland and the two sides of the Taiwan Straits will surely achieve reunification. No one, no force, should underestimate the resolute determination, firm will and strong ability of the Chinese people to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the open letter said.  

Global Times