An official of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Zhu Songbo, has said China will resist any attempt that glorifies Taiwan as an independent country.
Mr. Songbo was speaking at a media salon organised by the Centre for China Studies and Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research in Abuja on Thursday with the theme: “One-China Policy as the bedrock of China-Nigeria relations.”
Mr. Zhu, who is the Director, Political Sector, Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, in his brief remarks, said the issue of Chinese territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
He also informed that China will never use force on Taiwan, but will continue with persuasion for the unification as one country.
Other speakers at the session said Nigeria will continue to respect its diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China and does not recognise Taiwan as an independent entity.
They said the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China were on the basis that Nigeria recognised China’s One China principle.
They frowned at the recent attempt by some individuals to drag Nigeria into diplomatic row with China through reports that present Taiwan as an independent country separate from China.
Professor Charles Onunaiju, who is the Director Centre for China Studies in his presentation on the historical foundation and diplomatic significance of One China principle, said Taiwan is an integral part of China.
He said though the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan after losing the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Taiwan has since been returned to China following the Cairo declaration of 1943 and the Potsdam proclamation of 1945.
He said the principle of “one country, two systems” was first proposed by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s as a way to facilitate the reunification of China, particularly with Taiwan.
According to him, “Based on the principle, Taiwan was to retain its own distinct political and economic systems, including military and police force. However, when it comes to foreign affairs, the decision must come from Beijing.”
He said that Nigeria does not have any diplomatic relations with Taiwan, stressing that what Taiwan has in Nigeria is a mere trade office, which is purely for purposes of trade and nothing more.
He noted that in 2017, Nigeria raised the alarm that its One China policy was under siege following the activities of the Taiwan trade office in Nigeria, which it said was operating outside its scope. The government, according to him, relocated the trade office from Abuja to Lagos.
He said the activities of the Taiwanese trade office are not undermining China, but undermining Nigeria’s One China principle.
In his own presentation which was on the economic and trade implications of the One China principle, Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, Head of the department of political science and international relations, University of Abuja, said the issue of Taiwan is one that touches the territorial integrity of China, stressing that no nation accepts that.
Prof. Ibrahim, who is also the Director, Centre for Contemporary China-Africa Research, said that the One China principle has remained the cornerstone of Nigeria-China relations.
He said that in 2024, trade between Nigeria and China exceeded $20 billion, making Nigeria China’s major trading partner.
He said that a total of 217 Chinese companies have expressed interest to invest in Nigeria.
He called on the Taiwanese to respect themselves and embrace peaceful reunification.
The publisher of Daybreak Nigeria, Dr. Austin Maho, who spoke on the role of the Nigerian media in reporting the Taiwan question, charged media professionals to always seek clarification before filing their reports.
He gave examples of some reports that presented Taiwan as a country with a diplomatic mission in Nigeria.