China has reiterated its firm commitment to the One-China principle, insisting that Taiwan remains an inseparable part of its territory and not a sovereign nation.
This position was restated on Thursday by Counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Dong Hairong, during a Media Salon organised in Abuja by the Centre for China Studies and the Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research.
Speaking at the event, Hairong said recent developments involving Taiwan underscored the need for greater international understanding of the Taiwan issue and China’s territorial position.
She referenced the recent visit of Taiwan regional leader, Lai Ching-te, to Eswatini, alongside reported engagements between some Nigerian journalists and Taiwanese officials, describing them as attempts to promote separatist narratives.
“Taiwan has been an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient times,” Hairong stated.
She further stressed that, “Taiwan has never been a country, was never one and will never be.”
Also speaking at the forum, Convener of The Alternative Movement, Segun Showunmi, urged Nigeria to strengthen strategic cooperation with China, describing Beijing as a major global force in economic and technological development.
According to him, Nigeria stands to benefit more from deeper bilateral ties with China than from separate engagements with Taiwan.
“In another 100 years, what Nigeria will gain from a firm relationship with China, Taiwan will not be able to provide in 1,000 years,” Showunmi said.
In his remarks, Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria and Director of the Centre for China-Africa Research, Ghali Ibrahim, said the One-China principle had gained broad international recognition because Taiwan lacked the legal status of a sovereign state.
“Taiwan is not an independent sovereign entity but rather a territory that is part of China,” he said.
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