Wang Yi Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affairs, and how to achieve national reunification is a matter for the Chinese people on the two sides of the Taiwan Straits,  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a written interview with Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera on Thursday. 

Addressing a question on the Taiwan question given US continued arms sales to the island, Wang responded that Taiwan has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. We will strive for peaceful reunification with the utmost effort and greatest sincerity. In the meantime, our bottom line is also clear: we will absolutely not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China in any way.

At present, the cross-Straits situation is stable on the whole. But it faces serious challenges as well. The biggest challenge comes from “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and external disruptions. China will not sit on its hands with external disruptions, he stressed.

During the interview, Wang also made important explanations regarding the Gaza conflict, the Red Sea crisis, the Ukraine crisis and China-US relations.

Regarding the Gaza conflict, Wang stated that the protracted conflict in Gaza has become a humanitarian catastrophe that should not have happened, which has gone far beyond the bottom line of modern civilization. The international community must act now.

First, what is currently urgent is to achieve a cease-fire as early as possible, and this is the overriding priority. Second, unimpeded humanitarian assistance must be ensured at all times, and this is the pressing moral obligation. Third, further spillover of the conflict must be forestalled, and this is the practical necessity for preventing the situation from spinning out of control. Fourth, historical injustice to the Palestinian people must be redressed timely, and this is the right way to address the root of the conflict in Gaza, Wang pointed out. 

In response to concerns over the rising tensions in the Red Sea and China’s deployment of several hundred servicemen in an escort fleet for cargo ships, Wang stated that it must be noted that the ongoing escort mission by the Chinese navy is not related to the Red Sea situation. Maneuvers are being carried out in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia as authorized by the UN Security Council to deter pirates and conduct humanitarian operations.

When asked about how will China mediate in peaceful negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Wang said it is imperative to remain committed to political settlement. Conflicts and wars do not end on the battlefield but at the table. 

It is imperative to uphold objectivity and impartiality. All sides should play their due part, and build up mutual trust to create conditions for ending hostility and starting peace talks. More importantly, no one should form factions or provoke bloc confrontation, Wang emphasized.

With the US presidential election approaching, Wang stated that the China-US relationship bears on the wellbeing of the Chinese and American peoples and the future of humanity and the world. 

China is sincere in improving its relations with the US. Meanwhile, the US still sticks to its misperception of China, and presses ahead with its misguided policy to contain China, he noted.

Whoever is elected, the Chinese and American peoples will still need to engage in exchanges and cooperation, and the two major countries must find the right way to get along with each other. The China-US relationship cannot go back to its past. But it should, and can fully, have a bright future, Wang said.