Q: On 5 August, a joint statement was made by the Secretary of State of the US and the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan, which expressed concern over the China’s large-scale military exercises in the water of the Taiwan Strait and condemned the China’s ballistic missiles landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zones. What is the Embassy’s comment?

A: We are seriously concerned and strongly discontent with the remarks on the situation across the Taiwan Strait by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Japan and the Secretary of State of the US. It is absolutely unacceptable for the finger-pointing on China’s justified actions to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity. We firmly oppose and sternly condemn this.

The incidents proves it is the US to be the biggest saboteur and destabilizer of peace in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest troublemaker to regional stability. It is the US that should be  condemned. China is the victim of political provocation from the US. The actions taken by Chinese Government to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity and curb the separatist activities are legitimate and justified. Instead of expressing sympathy and support to the victim, the Australian side has condemned the victim along with the perpetrators. This is completely putting the cart before the horse and reversing the right from the wrong.

Japan has a long history of colonization and invasion of the Taiwan region, and bears indelible historical responsibility for the Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan. Japan should be the first to engage in self-reflection and discretion, and the last to make unwarranted accusations. Australia was also the victim of Japan's Fascists in World War II. Japan is the only country that launched a military attack on the Australian mainland, in which nearly 50,000 Australian soldiers and civilians were killed, wounded or captured and a large number of Australian soldiers were brutally abused and massacred by the Japanese army, left with misery and trauma. With this in mind, the Australian side should have expressed empathy, thus fully understand and support China’s reasonable and legitimate actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. As for the ‘Japan’s EEZ’ you mentioned, China and Japan have not carried out maritime delimitation in relevant waters, so there is no legal basis for Japanese claims that Chinese missiles fell into Japanese EEZ. On the maritime disputes between China and Japan, Australia should not take sides and blindly make unfair judgments that run counter to the facts.

The one-China principle is a solemn commitment by successive Australian governments. It should be strictly abided by and fully honoured. It should not be misinterpreted or compromised in practice. We hope the Australian side should view China-Australia relations with serious attitude, respect facts, uphold justice and abandon wrong standing. We also hope that the Australian side could treat the Taiwan question with caution, does not follow certain countries’ strategy of containing China with Taiwan, and does not create new troubles and disturbances in China-Australia relations.