Int'l community affirms one-China principle, lauds white paper on Taiwan

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published a white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era" on Wednesday, attracting broad global attention.

Many said that Taiwan is part of China, the one-China principle has been a broad consensus of the international community and the white paper demonstrates China's firm will and determination in pursuit of national reunification.

Rafael Quintero, former deputy foreign minister of Ecuador, said the white paper makes clear China's determination to advance its national reunification.

"You have to start from real history," Quintero said, adding that Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times, and that "respect should be given to international law."

Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association, said the white paper clearly states China's position on and policy of promoting the realization of national reunification.

With increasing national strength and international influence, China is confident about and capable of resolving the Taiwan question, Kwon said, adding that the scheme of using Taiwan to contain China is doomed to failure.

Noting an escalating anxiety of the United States, Ong Tee Keat, chairman of Malaysia-based think tank the Center for New Inclusive Asia, said that the Taiwan question "has long been used (by the United States) as a geopolitical weapon against China."

Calling the publication of the white paper "timely," Ong said the Taiwan question is China's domestic affair, which should be resolved by the Chinese people themselves.

Ngemela Lubinga, secretary of Political Affairs and International Relations of Tanzania's ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), said the CCM "has always been supporting the one-China principle" and "is supporting China against outside attacks" on the Taiwan question.

"Taiwan is part of China," he said, adding that any efforts to divide China are not acceptable.

Pointing out that Taiwan is part of China, former Croatian President Ivo Josipovic voiced support for China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Croatia always firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Josipovic said.

Assane Mbengue, president of the Federation of China-Africa Friendship Associations (FAACA), said the white paper shows China's sincerity in striving for peaceful reunification and its firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The FAACA firmly supports the one-China principle, he said, adding that all actions against this principle are dangerous.

Andrey Shvedov, editor-in-chief of Latvia's newspaper Segodnya, said the publication of the white paper "looks especially well-timed," in which China's position "has been laid out in a substantiated and consistent manner."

The UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and a large number of international documents fully prove that the one-China principle is clear in jurisprudence, and the fact cannot be misinterpreted, Shvedov said.

Hamza Al-Olayan, a Lebanese writer and media reporter living in Kuwait, said the white paper systematically states that Taiwan was, is and will always be part of China, and that China's efforts to oppose separatist acts are legitimate and lawful.

Veronika Saraswati, a researcher at Indonesia's think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Taiwan is part of China, adding that all countries should respect and support China's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Taiwan question should not be used as an excuse or a tool by external forces to interfere in China's internal affairs, the researcher said.

Some external forces try to change the status quo in the Taiwan Straits by supporting "Taiwan independence" separatists and attempt to destroy peace, tranquility and economic development in the region, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Noting that Taiwan is part of China, Matthews said the attempt to use Taiwan to contain China is bound to fail.