WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Tuesday lodged a stern demarche and strong protest to the U.S. National Security Council and the Department of State on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region.
In disregard of China's repeated serious representations and firm opposition, the U.S. side had Pelosi visit China's Taiwan region, which is a major event upgrading the negative movement of the U.S. side on the Taiwan question, and a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Qin said.
It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence," Qin said.
Egregious in nature, the visit has caused extremely serious damage and carries extremely bad influence, he said, adding that China strongly condemns and protests against the visit.
Noting that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and the most fundamental guideline for handling the Taiwan question, Qin said the U.S. Congress should strictly abide by the one-China policy of the U.S. government and not have any official contacts with China's Taiwan region.
The U.S. side has repeatedly committed that its one-China policy will not change and that it does not support "Taiwan independence," but now it had its House speaker visit Taiwan to provoke China, Qin noted.
Where is the U.S. commitment to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, to not supporting "Taiwan independence," and to international obligations, Qin asked.
He said facts have proved that it is the U.S. side, not others, that has reneged on its commitments, triggered the crisis, and undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Noting that resolutely safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, Qin said the will of the people cannot be defied, and those who play with fire will perish by it.
He said that the complete reunification of China is an unstoppable historical trend, that the Chinese people are not to be bullied, the Chinese nation is not to be humiliated, and that any attempt to obstruct or block China's reunification will end in failure.
China will firmly respond with forceful counter-measures, Qin said, adding that all serious consequences arising therefrom must be borne by the U.S. side and "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.
Qin said that China firmly urges the U.S. side to stop playing the "Taiwan card" and using Taiwan to contain China, immediately correct its mistakes, manage and eliminate the pernicious impact of Pelosi's Taiwan visit, refrain from further taking dangerous and provocative moves to infringe on China's sovereignty and security, and adopt real actions to honor U.S. President Joe Biden's "five noes" commitment (i.e. not seek a "new Cold War"; not seek to change China's system; the revitalization of its alliances is not against China; not support "Taiwan independence;" not look for conflict with China).
Also on Tuesday, Qin noted in an interview with CNN that then U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich's visit to China's Taiwan 25 years ago was a complete mistake, to which China at the time voiced strong opposition.
The U.S. side should draw a lesson from it, instead of making repeated mistakes, and one mistake cannot justify the following mistakes in the same nature, he said.
"China has every right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are fully justified to do what we must. The current situation is created purely by the U.S. side, so of course it has to bear the responsibilities," Qin said.
"We said it repeatedly in recent time that the PLA (People's Liberation Army) will not stay idle, and the duty of the PLA, China's military, is to defend China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Qin stressed.
"We will take whatever we can to respond to and to protect, to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and our response will be very firm, strong and forceful," he said. ■
