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The Chinese Embassy in France issued a statement on Tuesday with a spokesperson expressing strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to Taiwan-related remarks and actions by Olivier Faure, First Secretary of France's Socialist Party, which amount to an open provocation against 1.4 billion Chinese people.

The spokesperson made the remarks in response to inquiries regarding media reports that the French Socialist Party had issued a statement claiming that Faure is visiting the Taiwan region and would meet with regional leader Lai Ching-te. The statement claimed that the visit "aims to recognize Taiwan as a de facto state, defend the right of this democratic and prosperous island to self-determination, and reaffirm that the right to choose one's own political destiny is an inalienable right of all peoples." 

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. People on both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the Chinese nation, and resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification represent the common aspiration, firm resolve, and unwavering will of all Chinese people, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson stated.

The remarks and actions of the Socialist Party leader constitute an open provocation against the 1.4 billion Chinese people and seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation. "We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this," the embassy spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson pointed out that the Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and lies at the core of China's core interests, adding that the one-China principle is a prevailing international consensus and a basic norm governing international relations, with an unshakable foundation in international law. 

Taiwan has never been a country, is not a country now, and will never become a country in the future. "Taiwan independence" is fundamentally incompatible with peace across the Taiwan Straits, and supporting "Taiwan independence" means creating regional instability and undermining peace and stability in the region and the world. China urges relevant figures in France to contribute to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, rather than the opposite, the spokesperson said.


Global Times