Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

Recently, David Cheng-Wei Wu, "director-general" of the "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office" (TECO) in Sydney published an article in The Daily Telegraph, making unwarranted comments on the Chinese naval exercises in high seas, attempting to promote "Taiwan independence" and undermine China-Australia relations. This political stunt is doomed to fail. On this matter, I would like to make two points:

First, the one-China principle must not be violated. 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. This is an undeniable fact of history and law. The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation explicitly affirmed this. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971, made it clear that there is no such thing as "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan." In its communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1972, the Australian government explicitly "acknowledges the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China." The one-China principle is an integral part of the post-World War II international order, a widely recognized consensus of the international community, and the fundamental political foundation of China-Australia relations.

The nature of the relationship between China and the island of Taiwan is that of the central and local governments. The TECO is at most a non-governmental economic and cultural office of a region of China, which is located in Sydney. Its act of referring to the Taiwan region as a "country" is a blatant secessionist provocation. Such actions severely violate the international consensus on the one-China principle, disregard international law and the norms of international relations, run counter to the trend of history and the will of the people, and violate the principles of Australia's commitment to the one-China policy. They will inevitably face consequences and end in failure.

No matter how much the "Taipei Office" tries to draw attention to itself, it cannot change its regional and non-governmental nature. It has neither the right nor the qualification to comment on matters of national defense and foreign affairs, which are exclusive to sovereign states. I want to reiterate that China will continue to endeavor to achieve peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and greatest efforts. Any move to obstruct China's cause of reunification is bound to be crushed by the wheels of history. "Taiwan independence" is a dead end.

Second, China-Australia relations must not be undermined, yet the TECO spares no effort in sowing discord and stirring up trouble. Regarding the exercises conducted by the Chinese naval fleet in high seas, China and Australia have maintained close communication through diplomatic channels in Beijing, Canberra?and other multilateral occasions. All parties recognize that the naval exercise does not violate international law and should be handled properly to uphold the broader friendship between China and Australia. This is also the prevailing consensus among Australian think tanks, media and experts.

At this moment, the "Taipei Office" is distorting facts, reversing right and wrong, and going to great lengths to fan the flames and create trouble, fully exposing its malicious intent to undermine China-Australia relations. In reality, there is no similarity between international waters around Australia and the Taiwan Straits. Both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to China. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Chinese laws, the waters of the Taiwan Straits are divided into several zones, including internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. China has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Straits. The TECO article's absurd attempt to "internationalize" the Taiwan Straits is nothing but a joke.

Both China and Australia cherish peace, and our friendly cooperation brings mutual benefits to both peoples. The "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces are the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and the greatest trouble for China-Australia friendly relations. We hope that Australia will recognize the nature of "Taiwan independence," distinguish itself from "Taiwan independence" forces, take a clear stand against all secessionist activities and work with China to maintain regional peace and stability.

The author is the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Sydney. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn