Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

On 8 July 1998, Nicaragua and a very small number of other countries addressed a letter to you in which they requested to inscribe on the agenda of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly an item of the so-called "need to review General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 25 October 1971 owing to the fundamental change in the international situation and to the coexistence of two Governments across the Taiwan Strait" (A/53/145). Upon instructions of my Government, I hereby solemnly state our position as follows:

1. Nicaragua and a small number of other countries have once again put the so-called "Taiwan's representation in the United Nations" before the General Assembly in a brazen attempt to challenge the General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI), create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" in the United Nations and split a sovereign state. Such illegal activities have severely contravened the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, seriously encroached upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and grossly interfered in its internal affairs. The Chinese Government and people express the utmost indignation at and condemnation of such activities and strongly urge Nicaragua and the other countries to stop immediately their illegal activities of interfering in China's internal affairs and obstructing China's peaceful reunification.

2. Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. The 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation once again reaffirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan. To date, 162 countries have established diplomatic relations with China. They all recognize that there is but one China in the world, that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal Government representing China in its entirety and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Over the past 50 years or so since the founding of the People's Republic of China, great changes have taken place both in the world situation and in China, including Taiwan, in the social, economic, political and other aspects. However, no such change can alter the fact that Taiwan is a province of China and that China exercises sovereignty over Taiwan.

3. In 1971, the General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session adopted by an overwhelming majority the historically significant resolution 2758 (XXVI). In this resolution, the Assembly clearly and unequivocally recognized "that the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations and that the People's Republic of China is one of the five permanent representatives of the Security Council" and decided to restore all rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and to expel the representatives of Taiwan "from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it." In the resolution, the Assembly reaffirmed the "one China" principle in an exact and holistic manner. It decided resolutely to restore the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations and in the same resolute manner to expel the Taiwan authorities from the United Nations. These are two indivisible aspects of one question. Without expelling the Taiwan authorities from the United Nations, it would have been impossible to resolve properly China's representation at the United Nations. Only in this way could the resolution give, as it did perfectly, concrete expression to the "one China" principle. It has settled once and for all and in a just manner the question of China's representation at the United Nations. It has conformed to the historical trend and reflected the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. It is of great historical and practical significance and has won the support of an overwhelming majority of Member States of the United Nations. However, Nicaragua and a small number of other countries are now moving to dissect resolution 2758 (XXVI) in an attempt to strip the resolution of its essence, negate the "one China" principle and create "two Chinas" and "one China, one Taiwan". This is unacceptable to China and the overwhelming majority of UN Member States.

4. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization composed of sovereign states. Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations stipulates expressly that only sovereign states are entitled to membership in the United Nations. Taiwan, as a province of China, can by no means be in a position to be a Member of the United Nations. Meanwhile, according to principles of international law, the sovereignty of a State is indivisible. The Government of the People's Republic of China naturally represents, in the United Nations and its agencies, the Chinese people as a whole, including the Taiwan compatriots. There does not exist the so-called question of "Taiwan's representation in the United Nations". The question of Taiwan, by nature, bears no analogy to the cases of Germany and Korea resulting from the international agreements following the end of World War II. Therefore, the so-called principle of parallel representation naturally can not apply to Taiwan. General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) conforms to the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law and above all, reflects the actual situation in China. The illegal activities of Nicaragua and the other countries have of course met with strong opposition of the vast number of justice-upholding Member States of the United Nations. The General Committee of the successive sessions of the General Assembly since 1993 have all decided not to include the question of the so-called Taiwan's "representation" in the agenda of the General Assembly. This has fully reflected the firm resolve of the overwhelming majority of Member States of the United Nations to safeguard the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) and the principles of international law. Doubtlessly, the proposal of Nicaragua and a small number of other countries this year will come to the same end.

5. The question of Taiwan is an internal matter of China and a matter for the Chinese people themselves that brooks no interference by any country or individual in any way or under any circumstances. The settlement of the question of Taiwan and the reunification of the motherland are the solemn and lofty missions of all the Chinese people, including those on Taiwan. As early as over a decade ago, on behalf of the Chinese Government, Mr. Deng Xiaoping proposed the fundamental policy of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" for the settlement of the Taiwan question. On 1 July last year, the concept of "one country, two systems" first materialized in Hong Kong and tremendous success has been achieved ever since. On 20 December 1999, China will resume its exercise of sovereignty over Macao. The Taiwan question will ultimately be resolved. In recent years, with the joint efforts of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, marked progress has been made in the people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. The indirect trade has been growing rapidly every year and the investment in the mainland by Taiwan business people has increased steadily. The exchange of personnel visits between the two sides has surpassed 12 million persons/times in total. The contacts and exchanges in the cultural, academic, sports, scientific and technological, and journalistic fields have been expanding vigorously. Progress has also been made in the direct postal and transport services between the two sides. The economic cooperation and trade as well as cultural exchanges between the people on the two sides of the Strait are closer than ever, which have greatly deepened their mutual understanding and fraternal feeling. Under such circumstances, Nicaragua and a very small number of other countries are raising the question of the so-called "Taiwan's membership at the United Nations". This will only severely sabotage the process of the peaceful reunification of China.

No one in the world is more concerned about the interests and future of the 21.8 million Taiwan compatriots than the Chinese Government and people. Under the guidance of the policy of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" of the Chinese Government and the eight-point proposal of President Jiang Zemin on developing cross-Strait relations and promoting peaceful reunification of the country, the various departments of the Chinese Government have always cared for the Taiwan compatriots and taken policy measures to look after their interests. Chinese diplomatic missions have always worked to protect the interests of overseas Chinese, including the Taiwan compatriots. Their efforts have been highly appreciated by the Taiwan compatriots. Needless to say, the fundamental guarantee of the dignity and interests of the Taiwan compatriots lies in the reunification of the country.

6. China attaches importance to relations with all States Members of the United Nations and is ready to establish and develop friendly relations of cooperation with all countries in the world on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. We have never done anything to hurt the interests of Nicaragua and the other countries. However, what they have done has seriously hurt the fundamental interests of China and the feelings of the 1.2 billion Chinese people. We hope that those countries, proceeding from their own long-term interests, will stop being used by the Taiwan authorities in the latter's attempt to split the motherland. It is also our hope that those countries will not stand on the opposite side of the overwhelming majority of the Member States of the United Nations and move against the historical trend anymore. We firmly believe that the Chinese Government and people will continue to enjoy the understanding and support of the Governments and people of the general membership in the just cause of maintaining state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

I have the honor to request that this letter be circulated as an official document of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly under item 55 of the provisional agenda.