China has expressed its strong opposition to a statement by United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken that attempted to rally support for Taiwan's participation in the United Nations.

Blinken issued a statement on Tuesday on "Supporting Taiwan's Participation in the UN System", in which he claimed "Taiwan's meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one".

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in response to the statement that the UN is an international intergovernmental organization composed of sovereign states. Taiwan is a part of China and the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, he said.

"Taiwan has no right to join the UN," he said.

Ma said that the international community has a definite and established practice－adhering to the one-China principle－regarding Taiwan's participation in international organizations and their activities.

Blinken's statement is "a serious violation of UN resolutions, the one-China principle and the three Sino-US Joint Communiques", he said, adding that it sends a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" forces.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said 180 countries have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle, including the US. The principle is a universal consensus and does not allow unilateral misinterpretation by the US.

Blinken claimed that Taiwan was not represented at the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization, but Zhao said the island actually enjoys convenient air connections with many cities around the world. On the basis of the one-China principle, the island's medical and public health experts can attend related technical meetings of the WHO and have free access to information on public health, including COVID-19.

Blinken also claimed that the one-China principle is guided by the so-called Taiwan Relations Act, the three Sino-US Joint Communiques and the "Six Assurances "made by the US to Taiwan.

Zhao said that only the one-China principle and the three Sino-US Joint Communiques are the political foundation of China-US relations. The so-called Taiwan Relations Act and the "Six Assurances" were unilaterally concocted by the US and seriously violate international law and basic norms of international relations.

"We urge the US side to stop making irresponsible and erroneous statements, stop helping Taiwan to expand its so-called international space and take practical actions to maintain the political basis of Sino-US relations," he added.

On Oct 21, Rick Waters, a US State Department official, claimed that the People's Republic of China had "misused Resolution 2758", a decision adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971 that restored all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the UN and recognized the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China in the UN.

In response to Waters' remarks, Ma, the Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman, said: "The mistakes of some people in the US are that they ignore historical and legal facts, deny the authority of General Assembly Resolution 2758, attempt to reopen the UN ruling and confront the majority of the international community."

Wang Yingjin, a professor at the School of International Relations of Renmin University of China, said that Resolution 2758 completely resolved the issue of the People's Republic of China's representation in the UN.

The resolution "decides to restore all its rights to the People's Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it".

Wang added that "there is still only one China. It was only a change of central authority, not the separation of a new state from China. China's nature as a single subject of international law remains unchanged, as does its sovereignty and territorial boundaries".

'Double-sided' policy

Tao Wenzhao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of American Studies, said the US' policy on Taiwan is "double-sided".

The Biden administration has repeatedly said that the one-China principle has never been changed but on the other hand they have always tried to challenge the bottom line of one China with their own interpretation of what one China is.

"What the US is trying to do is to prevent China's reunification and maintain the status quo as much as possible," Tao said.

He said Taiwan's participation in the UN is "fundamentally opposed to" Resolution 2758. The international community has reached a consensus of one China and all 193 UN members participate as sovereign states.

"Taiwan's participation in the UN and its affiliated organizations is simply illegal," he added.