PCPThe PCP regards this decision as a turning point for multilateralism. It ended the exclusion of the government of the People’s Republic of China from representing a founding state of the UN. The anniversary calls for reflection on how a universal organisation can represent states, respect their sovereignty and contribute to peace.
The decision of 25 October 1971
Resolution 2758 restores the rights of the People’s Republic of China, recognises its government’s representatives as China’s sole legitimate representatives at the UN and provides for the removal of Chiang Kai-shek’s representatives from the places they occupied in the Organisation and its related bodies. It also recognises the People’s Republic of China as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
The decision concerns China’s representation in the Organisation. It did not create an additional member state alongside another China. It determined which government represented China. This distinction is essential to understanding the event and avoiding an account of 1971 as the admission of a country previously absent from the UN’s history.
The adopted text addresses that representation. The PCP’s support for peaceful reunification and opposition to “Taiwan independence” constitute its explicit political commitment. We state that position in our own name, respecting the precise content of the resolution and supporting the one China principle.
A universal organisation must recognise the reality of states
UN historical documentation records that China’s representation had been raised as early as 1949 and considered over many years. That delay reveals a serious difficulty: international power relations can hold an institution in a situation that no longer corresponds to the political reality it is meant to represent.
The PCP considers that a universal organisation weakens its own authority when it attempts to address major international questions while excluding the government of a country as important as China. Institutional representation cannot depend indefinitely on some members’ preference for one government over another. Respect for sovereignty requires recognising the reality of states and providing a framework for their relations.
The 1971 decision enabled Chinese participation consistent with China’s place in the Organisation. Its importance remains relevant. Public health, collective security, development and environmental protection require institutions in which China can exercise its responsibilities fully.
National independence and China’s international position
The PCP positively assesses the development path of the People’s Republic of China and the Communist Party of China’s role in asserting national independence, transforming the economy and building the capacity to act internationally. It regards the restoration of rights in 1971 as part of a wider history of recovering sovereignty and rejecting subordination.
National independence has material significance. It concerns a country’s ability to determine priorities, organise its institutions and mobilise resources. When an external power makes a state’s international standing conditional on changing its political system, it challenges that ability. The PCP rejects this approach towards China and as a principle for conducting international relations.
This support entails a particular understanding of relations between peoples. Traditions and development paths can differ within an international order governed by rules. Mutual respect requires treating states as responsible actors and discussing their positions on their merits, without placing their political existence at the disposal of outside interests.
The one China principle and the Taiwan question
The PCP supports the one China principle and the position that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China as a whole, of which Taiwan forms part. It opposes attempts to establish “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”, and interference encouraging separatism.
For our Party, the continuity of China’s representation at the UN and the pursuit of peaceful reunification require a clear political position. Questions about participation in a particular body or the organisation of a contact must be considered within their own institutional framework. They must not be used to create ambiguity about support for recognition of a second state.
Peaceful reunification requires political conditions in which people can envisage a shared future. The interests of families and workers on both sides of the Strait must carry greater weight than the strategic advantage other powers might seek from continued division. The PCP supports efforts conducive to peace and rejects the use of this question against China.
Defending multilateralism through consistent practice
The United Nations Charter connects sovereign equality, peace and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The PCP considers that the credibility of these principles depends on their application. An international order cannot be stable if its rules become optional whenever they conflict with a power’s interests.
Multilateralism also requires practical work. States must be able to participate in deliberations, put forward their positions and answer for their commitments. China must be able to do so through its legitimate representation. Disagreements belong in the competent institutions and diplomatic channels; finding a solution requires keeping those routes open.
The PCP supports an international order in which countries have an effective part in decisions affecting them. It considers that recognition of China’s role and participation by countries whose voices remain insufficiently heard strengthen the UN’s ability to meet peoples’ needs.
Switzerland’s political responsibility
Switzerland follows a one China policy and does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, as explained by the FDFA. The PCP calls on the Swiss authorities to uphold this orientation consistently, including in their communications and work within international organisations.
Hosting extensive international activity gives our country a particular responsibility for the quality of dialogue. The PCP wants Switzerland to preserve the conditions for discussion, respect organisations’ mandates and resist pressure to turn multilateral forums into instruments of confrontation.
On this anniversary, the Parti communiste populaire honours the historical significance of the restoration of the rights of the People’s Republic of China. It reaffirms support for the one China principle, the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the prospect of peaceful reunification. It will advance these positions through its public statements and political work in Switzerland.
Documents and sources
The cited documents provide the facts and provisions examined. Political judgments and proposals expressed in this article are those of the PCP.