On 2 August 2022, in disregard of China’s strong opposition and solemn representations, Speaker of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the No.3 highest-ranking official of the U.S., visited China’s Taiwan region. China firmly opposes and sternly condemns this, and has made serious démarche and strong protest to the United States.

The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China. The Taiwan Strait is facing a new round of tensions and severe challenges, and the fundamental cause is the repeated moves by the Taiwan authorities and the United States to change the status quo. The Taiwan authorities have kept seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus, go all out to push forward “de-sinicization”, and promote “incremental independence”. The United States, for its part, has been attempting to use Taiwan to contain China. It constantly distorts, obscures and hollows out the one-China principle, steps up its official exchanges with Taiwan, promotes the US-Taiwan relations, and emboldens “Taiwan independence” separatist activities. This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence”.

There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The one-China principle is the overwhelming consensus of the international community, the political foundation for China’s relations with other countries, the core of China’s core interests, a red line and bottom line that cannot be crossed, and the key stabilizing force for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which allows no trample. The Chinese people will never accept that any country or force challenge China’s sovereignty on the Taiwan question, hollow out the one-China policy, and even deliberately create trouble in the Taiwan Strait. China will definitely take firm and forceful measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. China will not stand idly by and will definitely take all necessary countermeasures in response to the U.S. Speaker’s visit. All the consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia in 1972, successive Australian governments have pledged to adhere to the one-China principle, for which we express our appreciation. Western Australia has long been friendly to China and a solid defender of China-Australia friendship and regional stability. It is hoped that West Australia will stick to the one-China principle, adopt a just position and give China understanding and support on the Taiwan question, which is a major question concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.