China's envoy to France labels Taiwanese government 'rebel regime' to be expelled 'at any time'

A senior Chinese diplomat has labelled the Taiwanese government as a "rebel regime" in a "not yet ended" civil war, and warned that the mainland authorities could "expel" it at any time.

Lu Shaye, China's ambassador to France, called the divided status of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait a legacy of the Chinese civil war in the 1940s, according to a transcript of his speech released by the Chinese embassy on Thursday.

He was referring to the military battle for control of China fought between the Kuomintang (KMT) under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong.

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The defeated Republic of China (ROC) government, then led by the KMT, fled to Taiwan in 1949 where it remains, but there was never a peace treaty to end the war.

"In a certain sense, China's civil war has not yet ended, and the current regime in Taiwan is a rebel regime within China's territory," Lu said in the speech which was delivered on Wednesday at the Istec Business School in Paris.

"The Chinese government has the right to expel this regime and reclaim governance over Taiwan at any time."

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Most countries do not recognise the island as independent, but its main international backer the United States opposes any attempt to take it by force and is legally bound to supply Taiwan with weapons to defend itself.

His statement comes amid growing worldwide concerns about a potential cross-strait confrontation, with tensions between Beijing and Taipei continuing to build since William Lai Ching-te took office as the new Taiwanese leader.

During his inauguration speech in May, Lai said the ROC, Taiwan's official name for itself, and the People's Republic were "not subordinate to each other". He repeated the comments at a ceremony to mark the centenary of the Huangpu Military Academy earlier this month.

Lu said there was only one future for Taiwan, which was "to return to the arms of the motherland".

"If it cannot be done by peaceful means, then by non-peaceful means; if some people do not want 'one country, two systems", then by "one country, one system". All in all, we will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the motherland," he added.

The idea of "one country, two systems", which took shape in the 1980s, originally was designed for Taiwan, but is now applied in Hong Kong and Macau, allowing those regions to retain their own economic and socio-political systems from mainland China.

Lu accused Washington of causing the increase in cross-strait tensions.

"The US, driven by the purpose of maintaining its global hegemony and its strategy to contain China through the 'first island chain', has been conniving and supporting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan to pursue 'independence'," he said.

During a lengthy speech in France, Lu Shaye also pushed back against Brussels' planned tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Photo: Chinese embassy in France alt=During a lengthy speech in France, Lu Shaye also pushed back against Brussels' planned tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Photo: Chinese embassy in France>

Still, he said, out of "consideration for the well-being of the Taiwanese people" the mainland preferred to achieve reunification peacefully.

Lu, who has been seen as a leading Wolf Warrior diplomat, last year triggered a diplomatic crisis when he questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, telling French television they did not have "effective status in international law".

His remarks on Taiwan came during a symposium organised by the French student association Federation for Diplomacy and the United Nations to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Paris.

Lu also urged France to oppose "Taiwan independence unequivocally" and take concrete actions to support a peaceful Chinese reunification.

In a lengthy speech, he again defended China's "normal trade with Russia" amid that country's invasion of Ukraine, which the European Union has warned is jeopardising the blocs bilateral ties with the world's No 2 economy.

"Both Russia and the EU are friends of China. China understands and attaches great importance to the feelings, concerns and aspirations of our European friends," he said.

He also pushed back against Brussels' planned tariff hikes on Chinese-made electric vehicles

"When China started to develop EVs and batteries in the late 1990s, Europe and the US were still sleeping in the comfortable nest of fuel vehicles. As they woke up to find themselves lagging behind, they blamed China for its early start, massive subsidies and 'unfair competition'," he said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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