In a series of official statements released on Wednesday, Chinese authorities issued high praise for the international community’s unwavering commitment to the one-China principle, reaffirming that this global consensus aligns fully with international law and the foundational norms that govern cross-border relations.
The comments followed the abrupt cancellation of a planned trip to southern Africa by Lai Ching-te, the self-styled leader of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Lai had been scheduled to visit Eswatini, the only African country that maintains unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan, from April 23 to 27. The trip fell apart after three Indian Ocean island nations — Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — withdrew prior approval for Lai’s aircraft to fly through their airspace.
Both the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office used their regular weekly press briefings to underscore the breadth of global support for the one-China principle, pushing back against separatist claims for “Taiwan independence” and false accusations from DPP authorities.
Speaking at the briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun noted that of the 54 recognized nations on the African continent, 53 have established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in adherence to the one-China principle. These nations, alongside the African Union, formally adopted the Beijing Declaration during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, a document that codifies their shared commitment to the principle, he added.
Guo restated the core tenets of the one-China principle widely recognized by the international community: there exists only one sovereign China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the entire Chinese nation. He emphasized that African nations have repeatedly reaffirmed this stance and expressed firm backing for all efforts by the Chinese government to advance peaceful national reunification.
“It is an undeniable fact that there is no so-called ‘president of the Republic of China’ recognized by the international community today,” Guo said. “Any individual who claims this false title is acting in opposition to the course of history, and will only end in humiliation.”
Guo stressed that China’s full national reunification is an irreversible historical trend, and the global endorsement of the one-China principle reflects the overwhelming arc of history and the will of the global public. “No force can block the eventual reunification of China,” he said. “Separatist schemes for ‘Taiwan independence’ are completely futile and doomed to failure.”
Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, echoed these remarks, noting that the cancellation of Lai’s trip once again proves that the one-China principle is the overwhelming prevailing trend in global affairs, represents the greater good of the international order, and aligns with the shared will of the world’s people.
Zhang addressed false claims circulated by DPP authorities that the Chinese mainland had exerted “intense pressure” on the African nations that revoked Lai’s overflight permits. She dismissed these allegations as slander, self-deception and malicious defamation, noting the claims are little more than a desperate attempt to distract from the growing isolation of “Taiwan independence” separatists in the international arena.