‘Act prudently’: China slams EU Parliament for resolution on Taiwan

China has slammed the European Parliament for adopting a symbolic but strongly worded resolution that denounced Beijing for its “attempts to distort history and international rules” to justify its territorial claims over Taiwan.

In a text adopted on Thursday with 432 votes in favour and 60 against, lawmakers also urged China to immediately cease its “continued military operations,” “economic coercion” and “hostile disinformation” campaign against the self-ruling democratic island.

Beijing reacted with expected fury, warning that “the Taiwan question concerns China’s sovereignty” and “it is a red line that must not be crossed.”

“China strongly deplores and opposes this egregious breach of the one-China principle and interference in China’s internal affairs,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU said in a long statement on Friday.

The One-China policy dates back to the UN Resolution 2758 adopted in 1971, which recognised the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and removed the seat assigned to the “representatives of Chiang Kai-shek,” the authoritarian leader of the Republic of China (RoC), Taiwan.

The EU, the US and most of the international community respect this policy and maintain diplomatic relations only with the PRC, leaving the RoC without official recognition.

Beijing, however, goes further in its interpretation and argues that Resolution 2758 provided the legal basis for its territorial claims over Taiwan, which the mainland considers a breakaway providence. (The UN text does not mention Taiwan or the RoC.)

The country has also invoked Resolution 2758 to block Taipei from taking part, even as an observer, in international bodies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

MEPs directly challenged this argument on Thursday, saying the Parliament “underlines that UN Resolution 2758 takes no position on Taiwan; strongly rejects and refutes the PRC’s attempts to distort history and international rules,” and callis on the EU to support “Taiwan’s meaningful participation” in international organisations.

In their joint plea, lawmakers stressed their respect for the One-China principle but insisted it was up to Taiwanese people to “democratically decide how they want to live.”

For Beijing, the Parliament’s position “distorts facts, treads on international law and constitutes a blatant provocation against the post-WWII international order and basic norms in international relations.”

The spokesperson of the Chinese Mission says Resolution 2758 left “no gray zone or room for ambiguity” and suggests the EU “act prudently on the Taiwan question.”

“We also urge certain misinformed politicians to abandon their futile attempts to obstruct China’s development and reunification by exploiting the Taiwan question,” the spokesperson said, noting “Taiwan will eventually return.”

Taiwan’s president, William Lai, has categorically rejected this rhetoric and vowed the island would never become subordinate to the mainland. The president says Taiwan does not need to declare independence because it is de facto independent.

During his inaugural speech in May, Lai offered China a chance to resume formal dialogue based on “parity and dignity.” China rejected Lai’s offer, whom he sees as a “dangerous separatist,” and has since ramped up its military drills near the island.

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This is not the first time Brussels has faced Beijing’s ire concerning Taiwan.

In July, one day after the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen, China said the European Commission president was “playing with fire” after she proposed working with other democratic nations in the region to “deter China from unilaterally changing the status quo by military means, particularly over Taiwan.”