This article comes few days after the 53rd anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. Taiwan question should not have become a question in the first place. Taiwan has long belonged to China since antiquity. The history and legal facts are very clear.

Chinese people’s development of the offshore island has been well documented. The earliest references to such activities can be found in the Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer complied in 230 A.D. by Shen Ying of the State of Wu from the Three Kingdoms Period.

 The Sui Dynasty (581-618) had on three occasions sent troops to the island, known as Liuqiu at that time. Starting from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, the central government of China invariably set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over the islands of Penghu and Taiwan.

 In 1624, Dutch colonialists invaded and occupied southern Taiwan. In 1662, Zheng Chenggong expelled the colonialists and recovered Taiwan, and was hailed as a national hero. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) expanded administrative bodies on the island. A Taiwan prefecture administration was set up under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province in 1684. In 1885, Taiwan was upgraded to the 20th province of China.

In July 1894, Japan launched a war of aggression against China. In April 1895, the defeated Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan and Penghu islands to Japan. The Cairo Declaration issued by China, the United States and the United Kingdom on December 1, 1943 stated that it was the purpose of the Three Great Allies that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as Northeast China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should restored to China.

 On July 26, 1945, China, the U.S. and the U.K. signed the Potsdam Proclamation which the Soviet Union subsequently agreed to. It reiterated that “The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.” In September, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, in which it promised to faithfully fulfill the obligations laid down in the Potsdam Proclamation. On October 25, the Chinese government announced that it was “resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan,” and “the ceremony to accept Japanese surrender in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied Powers” was held in Taipei. Hence through a series of documents with international legal effect, China recovered Taiwan both de jure and de facto.

In October 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which undertook “to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.” 

This resolution settled completely the political, legal and procedural issues regarding the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, at the U.N. It also spelled out that China has one single seat at the U.N., so there was to be no such thing as “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.” 

It was clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the U.N. Secretariat that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status,” and the “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to ... enjoy any form of government status.” In U.N. practice, the island is referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China.”

Africa and China are inter-twined in their umbilical cord relation. Africa has always stood with China with regard to the question of Taiwan and the UN resolution 2758. In August 2022, the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, made a provocative visit to the Taiwan region of the People’s Republic of China, designed to obfuscate the status of the region, African representatives who attended the FOCAC coordinator’s meeting  on the implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the 8th ministerial conference of the forum on china-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) unanimously stood shoulder to shoulder with China in mutually offering unwavering  support to each other in upholding territorial integrity, security and development interests. 

The African representatives once again re-affirmed that, “there is but only one China in the world and that 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. Without any ambiguity, what so ever, the African side always restates its commitment to the One-China principle and its support for China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This clear position of the African states, is not their own making, one can say. This support aligns with many global consensuses, expressed in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of October 25th, 1971, which recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China, with Taiwan as inalienable part of China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Following that provocative visit by Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, the United Nations Secretary-General,  Antonio Guterres, described the resolution 2758 as the UN iconic resolution and the orientation we have in everything we do. 

There has never been passed another resolution by this global body, deferring or omitting the resolution 2758. This resolution will never be deferred at any point in time and we thank all members who supported it. It now remains a cardinal requirement of every member of the United Nations to respect and implement it.

The Government of the People’s Republic of China, on a recent released white paper on the Taiwan question, stated that, “Resolution 2758 is a political document encapsulating the One-China principle whose legal authority leaves no room for doubt and has been acknowledged worldwide and that, “the One-China principle represents the universal consensus of the international community, and is consistent with the basic norms of international relations”. In my view therefore, this is a living document which cannot be deterred in anyhow. 

The United Republic of Tanzania, as a bonafide member of the United Nations, will always live up to this principle, where every citizen should be made to understand so and always rise to support the One-China principle.

African countries have diligently aligned with the universal consensus by integrating its support for One-China principle in the mainstream of their respective national foreign policies. And for African countries this is not just a political expediency, but a fundamental policy commitment. Any attempt that goes against the wish of the international community, would be a gross violation of Resolution 2758 and international, are serious breach of political commitments made by many countries. 

And it is obvious that, African countries would not stand to see any damage to China’s sovereignty and dignity, and treat the basic principles of international law with contempt. Both Chinese government and the international community have to condemn and express their resolute opposition to any such ill undertaking.

To date, 183 countries including the United States have established diplomatic relations with the PRC on the basis of the One-China principle. The China-US Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, published in December 1978, states, “The Government of the United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China.”

 This alone is a great attestation of the United States of America that it recognizes One-China principle. It is therefore my humble call to all members and non-members of the United Nations to respect the will of the international community expressed in the United Nations Resolution 2758. Not only is it for safeguarding the sovereignty of China, but for the sovereignty of us as well.

As I conclude, I wish to state that Taiwan is part of China and this is an indisputable fact. I hope all the peace-loving countries and peoples of the world will stand with the Chinese people, uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, have the courage to debunk any lies and pretexts, firmly oppose any acts that jeopardize peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the region, and understand and support the just cause of the Chinese people in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity and striving for national reunification.

By Omar Mjenga, ndc, President and Chief Executive Officer-CIP AFRICA