PCPThis position follows from our commitment to the sovereignty of peoples, peace and social progress. The Taiwan question concerns China’s future and the security of its population. It must not become an instrument of pressure between powers or a pretext for confrontation whose first victims would be the people on both sides of the Strait.
The meaning of the one China principle
The PCP’s position is that there is one China, Taiwan is part of its territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China as a whole. We support this political position independently of shifts in the balance of power. Recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity must be sustained in practice, including when particular initiatives would undermine an expressly stated commitment.
The People’s Republic of China sets out its position on Taiwan and reunification in its August 2022 white paper. The PCP supports the pursuit of peaceful reunification and the historical responsibility undertaken in this respect by the Communist Party of China. Our support for China forms part of our positive assessment of its development path and of the CPC’s role in securing national independence.
Opposition to separatism entails political responsibility. A decision with lasting consequences for peace cannot be treated as a publicity gesture without consequences. Authorities and political figures intervening in this question must answer for the foreseeable effects of their actions on security, relations between people and the prospects for a peaceful settlement.
Sovereignty and opposition to interference
The PCP rejects the use of Taiwan as an instrument for containing China. It opposes external initiatives intended to support political separation, establish permanent confrontation or obstruct the prospect of peaceful reunification. This position concerns the purpose and consequences of actions, regardless of which power initiates them.
The United Nations Charter makes sovereign equality and the peaceful settlement of disputes foundational principles of international relations. The PCP defends their consistent application. Their authority would be weakened if respect for a country’s sovereignty depended on whether other governments approved of its political system.
Differences between social and political systems give no state the right to determine another country’s future. They should be addressed through debate and diplomatic relations. In the PCP’s assessment, turning a political difference into a justification for strategic confrontation undermines the conditions in which peoples can determine their own development.
Preventing escalation across the Strait
Peace requires decisions that reduce risk. The PCP opposes military escalation, provocations and actions that make confrontation more likely. Demonstrations of force and political signals must be judged by their consequences for stability rather than by the attention they secure for those responsible.
A policy of prevention must preserve communication and avoid situations in which a miscalculation becomes irreversible. It requires rejecting the portrayal of war as an ordinary or inevitable outcome. Protection of the population, continuity of civilian life and the conditions for a peaceful settlement must guide political action.
The PCP supports efforts that foster understanding across the Strait and establish lasting conditions for peaceful reunification. It rejects policies that benefit from prolonged division or the creation of permanent hostility.
Peaceful reunification and the interests of the population
Our support for peaceful reunification includes a social responsibility. Families, workers and young people must be able to plan their future without the threat of conflict determining their daily lives. Stability concerns personal safety, family relationships, access to essential services and the ability to work and study.
A lasting political perspective must take these realities seriously. Contact between people, mutual understanding and discussion of the conditions for a shared future can help build trust. The PCP supports their development within the framework of the one China principle.
Respect for people remains a continuing responsibility. Opposition to “Taiwan independence” concerns a political project of separation. It cannot justify hostility towards Taiwan’s residents or people of Chinese origin in Switzerland. Disagreements should be expressed through argument and peaceful political activity, with respect for every person’s dignity.
Switzerland’s responsibility
Switzerland follows a one China policy and does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, as the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs explains. The PCP calls for this orientation to be stated clearly and observed in public affairs. Official relations must not be used to cultivate ambiguity about diplomatic recognition.
This requirement calls for careful judgment. The FDFA distinguishes diplomatic relations from technical exchanges. The PCP calls for the purpose and status of contacts to be specified, enabling civilian exchanges without turning them into instruments of state recognition or support for separatism.
Switzerland must retain its ability to exercise independent judgment and refuse to be drawn into a strategy of confrontation against China. The PCP advocates a foreign policy that takes the independence of states, the effects of decisions on people and the pursuit of peaceful solutions seriously. Consistency matters particularly when pressure increases.
The PCP’s commitments
The Parti communiste populaire will defend the following positions in its public statements:
- Support the one China principle and oppose projects for “Taiwan independence”, “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”.
- Support China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the prospect of its peaceful reunification.
- Oppose external interference and the use of Taiwan as an instrument of confrontation with the People’s Republic of China.
- Call on the Swiss authorities to pursue their one China policy consistently, with clearly defined mandates and status for official contacts.
- Defend the prevention of escalation, peaceful relations between people and respect for everyone concerned.
The PCP will advance this position firmly and responsibly. Respect for China’s sovereignty, opposition to separatism and the pursuit of peace are connected elements of its international responsibility.
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.