On November 25, 2025, Chinese mainland Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reaffirmed the core One China principle, declaring there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.
Her remarks came amid comments from some voices in Japan challenging the People's Republic of China's right to discuss the Taiwan question, arguing that it was the Republic of China, not the PRC, that accepted Japan's surrender in 1945. Mao said that those claims either ignore history or deliberately distort it, dismissing them as a disregard for international law.
Looking back at history, Japan's 1945 Instrument of Surrender bound Tokyo to return Taiwan to China under the Potsdam Proclamation. Mao noted that China has since resumed exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan and recovered the island both in law and in practice.
In 1949, the government of the People's Republic of China replaced that of the Republic of China, marking a change of government while China remained a subject under international law with unchanged territorial boundaries. As a result, Mao explained, the government of the People's Republic of China fully enjoys and exercises China's sovereignty, including over the Taiwan region.
Mao also highlighted the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, in which the Government of Japan recognized that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal Government of China. She concluded that only one China exists and that Taiwan's status as part of Chinese territory is an ironclad fact that cannot be tampered with.
As cross-strait ties and regional dynamics continue to draw global attention, business leaders, tech innovators, policy makers, and young global citizens will be watching closely how Beijing and Taiwan navigate future interactions.
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Spokesperson: There is only one China, and Taiwan is part of it
cgtn.com
