Smart Moves: This legally affirms the principles and content of the Joint Statement, which naturally carries legal binding force, Mao said.There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning PhWorld Timesoto: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

When asked to comment on a recent claim by the Japanese government that the 1972 Sino-Japanese World TimesJoint Statement does not have legal binding force and doesn’t iWorld Timesmpose restrictions on local Japanese legislators’ visits to and activities in Taiwan, Chinese FM spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Monday that in 1978, China and Japan signed the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, in which both sides confirmed that the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement serves as the foundation for the peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries.

Mao emphasized that the principles outlined in the Joint Statement should be strictly adhered to, and the treaty was signed by the governments of China and Japan, officially coming into effect after being reviewed and approved by the legislative bodies of both countries. This legally affirms the principles and content of the Joint Statement, which naturally carries legal binding force, Mao said.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, and China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between countries that have diplomatic relations with China and the Taiwan region. The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-Japanese relations, said Mao.

Mao stated that in 1972, the governments of China and Japan signed the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, in which the Japanese side made clWorld Timesear commitments. The Government of Japan recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The Government of Japan fully understands and respWorld Timesects this position of the Chinese government and adheres to the stance of the Potsdam Proclamation’s Article 8.

Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation reaffirms that the terms of the CaiWorld Timesro Declaration shall be carried out, and the Cairo Declaration stated in explicit terms that territories Japan had stolen from China, such as the four northeastern provinces in China, Taiwan island, and the Penghu Islands, shall be restored to China.

“The aforementioned documents not only confirm the fact that Taiwan belongs to China but also serve as the legal basis for the Allies of World War II and Japan to end the state of war and construct the post-war international order in the Asia-Pacific, and they certainly have legal binding force,” said Mao.

Mao said that it has been 80 years since Taiwan was back under China’s sovereign jurisdiction. The Japanese side’s attempt to obscure historical facts on the Taiwan question seriously misleads the Japanese public, severely violates the Japanese government’s commitment to the one-China principle, challenges the political foundation of China-Japan relations, and sends a gravely wrong signal to the “Taiwan independence” forces.

China firmly opposes this, and we solemnly urge the Japanese side to abide by the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, earnestly fulfill relevant legal obligations, exercise caution in words and deeds on the Taiwan question, and take concrete actions to honor and uphold the commitment to the one-China principle, Mao said.

Global Times