Int'l community lauds white paper on Taiwan as China reaffirms position, resolution on reunification

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China published on Wednesday a white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era."

The release of the white paper has attracted broad global attention. Many said that the white paper has set out the position and policies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government to promote national reunification in the new era, shown the firm will and resolute determination to pursue national reunification, and demonstrated that the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is a blessing for the international community and people around the world.

REAFFIRMING TAIWAN IS PART OF CHINA

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistani Senate's Defense Committee, said he thinks the white paper has made clarity on the Taiwan question, and is "very categorical and very clear."

The white paper tells about the history and legal facts, and justifies how Taiwan is an integral part of China, he said. "I think people will read the right conclusion from that, because it is based on facts, not fiction."

The white paper on Taiwan is an important guide on how to address and solve the Taiwan question, said Joseph Siracusa, author and adjunct professor of political history and international diplomacy at Australia's Curtin University.

Siracusa said in his opinion as a diplomatic scholar, he believes that it will be very helpful for the international community, in general, and the West, in particular, to better understand the Taiwan question.

Avtandil Otinashvili, chief editor of Georgian Newsday Information Agency, said that under the current complicated international situation, the white paper has made a clear elaboration on China's major policies in advancing national reunification.

From the white paper, the world can fully feel China's utmost sincerity in striving for peaceful national reunification, Otinashvili added.

Mohamed Si Bachir, a professor at the University of Algiers in Algeria, noted that the Chinese government has firmly adhered to the basic policy of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" on solving the Taiwan question, saying that he applauded China's clear-cut and consistent position.

Tang Zhimin, director of China ASEAN Studies at the Bangkok-based Panyapiwat Institute of Management, said that he has read from the white paper the Chinese nation's mainstream value of pursuing unification and opposing secession.

The integration and development of both sides across the Taiwan Straits have brought the Chinese compatriots closer to each other, he noted, adding that the white paper highlights China's long-lasting original aspiration for peaceful reunification.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said he was impressed by the emphasis on resolutely safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity as laid out in the white paper.

Hoping that the paper can access a wider range of readers, he said this will help them better understand the history and status quo of the Taiwan question, and help smash the Western media's prejudice on the Taiwan question.

SEPARATISTS' PLOT, EXTERNAL MEDDLING DOOMED TO FAIL

This white paper clearly and detailedly explains the root cause of the Taiwan question and the question's future settlement path, Singaporean political commentator Ang Teck Sin said.

Some U.S. politicians irresponsibly sent wrong signals to the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" and encouraged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to pursue "independence," which led to tensions in cross-Straits relations and endangered peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, Ang added.

Tunisian political analyst Jomai Gasmi pointed out that it is obvious that the United States and other external forces intervened in the Taiwan question, saying that they hoped to profit from it.

In the eyes of Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the publication of this white paper under the current circumstances is of great significance.

The cause of destabilization, the cause of current friction in the Taiwan Straits, he noted, is because the United States and other external forces want to use the "Taiwan card."

Luis Delgado, researcher of Venezuela's Center for Advanced Studies in Development and Emerging Economies, said a series of policies to benefit Taiwan by the Chinese government have provided many conveniences for cross-Straits economic and trade exchanges and significantly promoted the economic development and people's wellbeing in Taiwan region.

Despite this, the DPP authorities have been colluding with external forces and "seeking independence by relying on foreign support," which has caused tensions in cross-Straits relations.

Referring to the white paper which has exposed and criticized some external forces for their attempts "to contain China by exploiting the Taiwan question," and the risky acts of provocation that embolden the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, Diaa Helmy, secretary-general of Cairo-based Egyptian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the United States and other external forces sought to create tensions in a blatant and provocative way, and tried to use the Taiwan question to contain China's development.

He added that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the attempt to encourage the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" is doomed to failure.

Croatian political analyst Branimir Vidmarovic also condemned the acts attempting "to use Taiwan to contain China."

It is foolish and dangerous for some Western forces to embolden the separatist forces, he said, adding that China has demonstrated its confidence to realize the unification of the country.

Li Yeming, deputy chief of Singapore World War II History Research Society, noted that the whole world can see clearly that the U.S. side constantly misinterprets, blurs and hollows out the one-China principle, and uses various means to support the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence."

The white paper clearly shows China's firm determination to oppose "Taiwan independence" and external interference, and that the great cause of China's reunification is an irresistible historical trend, he added.

Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of Mumbai-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, said he firmly believes that the United States creates tensions in the Taiwan Straits, and China must take countermeasures, adding that the sinister intentions of the United States are doomed to failure, while China's complete reunification is unstoppable.

Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, noted that Taiwan region has enjoyed cordial, progressive and beneficial relations with the Chinese mainland for decades now, adding that there has been growing economic integration and closer cultural and social ties across the Taiwan Straits.

PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION A BLESSING FOR THE WORLD

Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, vice president of Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, said China has exercised strong restraint and shown its prudence amid the current circumstance.

A peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question will provide a political foundation and a secure environment for peace, stability and development in the region, she added.

Balmukunda Regmi, a professor at Nepal's Tribhuvan University, said the white paper once again clarifies China's basic policy to resolve the Taiwan question.

From the successful experience in history, people have the reason to believe that the basic policy of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" is conducive to stability and development across the Taiwan Straits.

Bouthaina Shaaban, special adviser at the Syrian presidency, said the Chinese people speak a language of morals and the language of sharing and cooperation instead of the language of hegemony.

In his view, peaceful reunification boasts a bright future, and conforms to the interests of all Chinese people.

Abdulaziz Al-Shaabani, a Saudi expert on Chinese affairs, said achieving peaceful reunification across the Straits is a blessing not only for the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, but also for the international community and people all over the world, which is a result the international community expects to see.

For Ang in Singapore, he said what he has felt in the white paper is China's position and attitude on continuing to strive for peaceful reunification with its utmost sincerity and efforts.

He also said this is a responsible attitude towards the peace of all Chinese people, including the people of Taiwan, and people across the world, adding that the white paper has outlined a bright future for peaceful reunification in accordance with "one country, two systems."