Q: On 5 August, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong issued a statement, which expressed concern about the launch of ballistic missiles by China into waters around Taiwan's coastline and urged restraint and de-escalation.The statement pointed out that Australia does not want to see any unilateral change to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. What is the comment of the Chinese Embassy in Australia?

A: The tensions in the Taiwan Strait is fundamentally caused by the US connivance at Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region. This is a major incident that seeks to upgrade the substantive exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. It causes serious harm to the one-China principle and to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. China has made clear its stern opposition to the incident. If the US continues down the wrong path, then all consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the US.

This incident proves it is the US to be the biggest saboteur of peace in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest troublemaker to regional stability. It is the US that has been distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle, using any pretext or excuse to gradually change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. If China does not firmly resist the US’s irresponsibility and extreme irrationality, the separatists and extremists will only become more reckless and the hard-won peace and stability in this region will be seriously undermined. The US made a malicious provocation first, and China has been compelled to act in self-defense.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Chinese military drills in the waters off the Taiwan Island are a necessary and legitimate measure to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a necessary and legitimate countermeasure against the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and foreign interference. They are consistent with international law and domestic laws. They are a warning to the provocateurs and also aimed at protecting regional stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait. The cause, consequences and merits of the tensions are crystal clear. Over 100 countries have spoken up to stress the importance of upholding the one-China principle and expressing support for China’s efforts to uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The one-China principle is the important precondition and political foundation for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and Australia. Some of the wording and expression from the Joint Communiqué of the Australian Government and the Government of the People’s Republic of China Concerning the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Australia signed in 1972 are as follows, I quote ‘the Australian Government recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, acknowledges the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China’. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is a serious violation of the one-China principle.The facts are clear, the truth is plain. Australia’s  commitment to one China principle is clear in both concept and content. We hope the Australian side could get a clear understanding of the cause and nature of the current crisis, show its respect to the facts and abide by its solemn commitment to the one China principle in both word and deed.