On 26th April, 1964, the People’s Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania established formal diplomatic relations. Older generation of leaders of both countries including Chairman Mao Zedong and President Julius Nyerere have established and fostered the China-Tanzania traditional friendship following the principles of mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 1965, President Julius Nyerere paid his first visit to  China, when both sides signed the Treaty of Friendship Between the People’s Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania. 

Both parties pledged to take the Five Principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful coexistence and so on as the principles guiding the relations between the two countries. 

In 2013, President Xi Jinping made a historical visit to Tanzania, when both sides signed the Joint Communique Between the People’s Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania. 

In 2022, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan paid a state visit to  China, when both sides issued the Joint Statement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership Between the People’s Republic of China and the United Republic of Tanzania.

 In these two important documents, China and Tanzania pledged to continue supporting each other on issues involving sovereignty, territorial integrity and other interests and major concerns.

 The Tanzanian side reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one-China principle, regarding Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and supporting China’s every effort to achieve national reunification, which China highly appreciates. 

In the past 60 years, China and Tanzania have always been maintaining the friendly original aspiration of diplomatic relations. One of the most important reasons is that China and Tanzania have been reinforcing political mutual trust, supporting and helping each other on issues of core interests and major concerns. 

From the perspective of China, in the 1960s and 1970s, when China was still in poverty and difficulty, the Chinese government and people tightened our belts to help African brothers build the Tazara Railway with no hesitation, as this Uhuru Railway was the urgent need of Tanzania and Zambia, and the whole African National Liberation Movement.

 From the perspective of Tanzania, the Tanzanian side has supported China firmly to restore its lawful seat in the United Nations all the time since the founding of the United Republic. Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, then Tanzanian Permanent Representative to the UN said at UN, it’s ridiculous that China, a country with one-fourth of the world’s population doesn’t have representative right in the UN. As the Tanzanian representative, Dr. Salim personally participated in text drafting, finalized it after several revisions, and made tremendous efforts with other friendly countries. 

At the 26th Session of the UN General Assembly, the above-mentioned draft was adopted eventually, and this is the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758.

 The moment that Dr. Salim stood up and gave a standing ovation, always moved the Chinese people deeply, because we saw Tanzania stood firmly with the Chinese side on the most important and fundamental core interest related to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. 

The one-China Principle recognized clearly by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 is basis and consensus of developing China-Tanzania diplomatic relations.

In the past 60 years, the Tanzanian side has always implemented the original aspiration of diplomatic relations by supporting China on the one-China principle. Early this year, after the Taiwan region’s election, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan reaffirmed Tanzania’s basic position of one-China principle, and Chama cha Mapinduzi also released a statement and strongly supported China on this issue. It’s right because China and Tanzania share similar experience and common principles that Tanzanian friends could have much feeling for the Chinese side on Taiwan question, and be willing to stand firmly on the Chinese side. The Chinese people cherish very much the sincere friendship between China and Tanzania.

There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Such is the core essence of one-China principle.

Taiwan has belonged to China since antiquity. It can be seen clearly from 3 perspectives. From a perspective of history, a large number of historical records and annals document this fact clearly. Starting from the Song and Yuan dynasties, which was 1000 year ago, the central governments of China all set up administrative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan. 

In 1885, the government of Qing dynasty set Taiwan as one of China’s provinces. From a perspective of legal facts, the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation stipulated that Japan should return to China all the territories, including Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, which were forced to cede by the government of Qing dynasty.

 It is also an important content of the post-World War II international order. 

The General Assembly Resolution 2758 undertook more clearly “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 Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it”. 

From a perspective of international practice, the island is referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Besides, it was clearly stated in the official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN 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”. 

As an important international organization, the World Health Organization has refused to discuss Taiwan-related proposals in its Assembly for many years.

In view of the above, the one-China principle is crystal clear, as a red line that must not be crossed for safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is also a universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations. 

Not long ago, the Republic of Nauru declared to cut the so-called “diplomatic ties” with Taiwan and to restore diplomatic relations with China, and became the 183rd country to have diplomatic relations with China, which shows the one-China principle is where the global opinion trends and where the arc of history bends.

For a recent while, a few countries have been attempting to distort and challenge the UNGA Resolution 2758, and have sensationalized the so-called theory of the undetermined status of Taiwan, while agitating Taiwan’s participation in the conferences and events of the UN system. 

Some officials and scholars claimed that Resolution 2758 “did not endorse, is not equivalent to, and does not reflect a consensus for one-China principle”, and “did not constitute a position of the UN on the ultimate political status of Taiwan”. 

China firmly opposes that, and the Tanzanian people will not agree, either. UNGA Resolution 2758 was adopted through legal compliance procedures and voted by all UNGA member states, with highly authority. It was also a vivid example for all developing countries, including Tanzania and many African countries, opposing major power hegemony, safeguard the fairness and justice, and pursuing independence. Some countries have distorted UNGA Resolution 2758, which is a trampling on the authority and seriousness of UNGA, and a challenge to the post-World War II international order. Backward step like that is doomed to be in vain and eventually fail.

Looking back upon the original aspiration  of China-Tanzania diplomatic relations, the one-China principle is the solid basis of two countries’ mutual political trust. 

Taiwan will certainly return to the motherland and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will surely realize the reunification. This is the firm will of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, and also the inexorable trend of history. 

Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are China’s basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question. With the relentless efforts of the Chinese people and the support of international friendly forces, including Tanzania, the complete reunification of China will certainly be achieved!

Chen Mingjian (pictured) is the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania