TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A major Australian newspaper on Thursday (March 23) published an op-ed by a Chinese 'wolf warrior' diplomat with a headline that contained the words "Taiwan will be ours," before later changing it.
At 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Xiao Qian (肖千), China's ambassador to Australia published an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald titled "Taiwan will be ours, but war with Australia is a fallacy." However, by Friday (March 24), the headline had been changed to "Taiwan is always part of China, but war with Australia is a fallacy."
The original headline indicating that Taiwan would be annexed by China contradicted the content of the article, the entirety of which attempted to make the case that Taiwan had been governed by China since the Song and Yuan Dynasties. However, there are no verified records of direct Chinese governance of Taiwan until the Qing Dynasty.
Xiao cited the Cairo Declaration as stipulating that Taiwan should be returned to "China." What he neglected to mention was that the declaration referred to the government of the Republic of China (ROC), which is now based in Taiwan.
He alleged that the CCP's capture of Beijing in 1949 made the People's Republic of China (PRC) the "successor to the Republic of China." The ROC, however, currently continues to function as a government based in Taipei.
The ambassador described the current situation across the Taiwan Strait as a "protracted political confrontation." He alleged that the territory of China has "never been divided and will never be divided" although China and Taiwan have separate governments with different militaries, currencies, passports, constitutions, and diplomatic allies.
Xiao then cited Resolution 2758 passed by the United Nations in 1971 as "making it clear there is but one China in the world" with Taiwan a part of that country. The brief resolution actually says it recognizes the PRC government as the "only lawful representatives of China," while the "representatives of Chiang Kai-Shek" are to be expelled, thus potentially leaving the door open for future Taiwan membership under a government not ruled by Chiang's "representatives" and not as a part of China.
He wrote that Beijing's "first choice" is "reunification by peaceful means." Yet, as the ROC was never united with the PRC and Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC, the term "reunification" is inaccurate.
Xiao then warned that Beijing "will not leave any room for any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities." He also railed against Australians who express concerns about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, comparing them to Don Quixote "tilting at windmills, fighting against a non-existent enemy."
A poll conducted by the Lowy Institute in 2022 revealed that 63% of Australians believe China is "more of a security threat" to their country, while only 33% think of Beijing as "more of an economic partner." As of that year, Australians who said they trust China had plummeted by 40 points from 2018 to only 12%.
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March 24, 2023 at 11:28AM
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Chinese 'wolf warrior' Xiao Qian says 'Taiwan will be ours' - Taiwan News
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